The Long Journey Home
by YvettE S
Summary: AU: Ginevra Weasley, fiancé of Harry Potter and hater of all Death Eaters, wakes up after the final battle to find that her world is not what she fell asleep to.
1. War

A/N: Hello All, it is Yvette S! Well, it has been a while since I have posted a FF for Harry Potter! I had this plot in my head for a long while, and have decided to post it! I wrote this pre Deathly Hallows, and thought it would take too much from the plot to change it according to DH as well. Um, I am only about eight or nine chapters into it, **and I am looking for a beta! **If you are interested, let me know!

**Don't forget to review!**

So, here it goes. My latest Draco and Ginny story,

_The Long Journey Home._

_

* * *

_

Ginevra Molly Weasley fell onto her back, letting out a large breath. She looked out at the sky; the weather that day had be nothing but perfect. A bright yellow sun shined boldly as it hovered over the green earth. The sky was the perfect shade of blue; tranquil and soft. The clouds that gently floated above were white, large, and fluffy; and so close it was as if she could reach up and grab them with both hands. A strong breeze blew the Scottish seaside, cooling the land from the suns rays. As she looked out into the never ending view before her, she felt as if it had hours since she fell onto her back there, taking in large breaths. In reality however, it had been mere seconds before she rolled onto her stomach, clutching her wand.

The Death Eater before her had his wand pointed at her, shouting a curse that had missed her by mere inches. She rolled again, getting a mouth full of harsh grass into her mouth in the process. She aimed her wand at him, and with out uttering a word, she shouted in her mind,

"Expelliarmus!"

His wand immediately flew from his hands as he too fell back to the ground. Ginny wasted no time, and shot onto her feet, running towards the wand the Death Eater was currently trying to crawl to, while a groan escaped his lips. As she reached the long piece of wood, she kicked it away from him, and pointed her wand at him.

"ADVADA KADAVRA!" she screamed at him. Their eyes locked for a moment, before a green light came from out of her wand and hit him. He dropped her gaze first.

Ginny wiped red hair out of her face and took off running towards her friends and comrades. This was war. The final battle; and the good side was out numbered. She wasted no time in stupefying another Death Eater as she ran to Remus Lupin's side.

"Ginevra!" he screamed, as he sent a curse towards a few men coming his way. She nodded at him and stood behind him, looking around for other possible men to attack.

"Status?" she asked, while sending a disillusionment charm at a man three times as large as her.

"Same as before," he said through ragged breath.

"Three to one?" Ginny replied, turning slightly around to face him. Large drops of sweat cascaded down his face, as the wrinkles around his eyes creased, looking for more Death Eaters that were coming from the forest.

"It could get worse; too many of the Aurors are in Hogsmead fighting the Inferi and Dementors, not enough are covering Hogwarts. This is not looking good, Ginevra." She let out a sigh as she looked around her, keeping an eye out for men trying to catch her. "Have you seen her yet?" Ginny shook her head.

"No, she was chasing me for a while, but Percy intercepted."

"Your brother is here?" replied Remus, wiping bits of sweat that was trickling down his face. Ginny nodded.

"They began dueling and someone else came from behind me, I lost them after that." Ginny looked to her right saw a man clad in black running towards her. She sent a loud "Crucio" which had him falling to his knees. She kept her wand pointed at the masked man as she ran to him, putting a full body bind on him.

"Using Unforgivables I see," Remus called, she gave him a shrug.

"You told me too," she replied, looking over the hoards of people, looking for that one person.

"Ah, so I did," he responded calmly, as if they were sitting at tea and not fighting in a war.

Ginevra kept her eyes peeled, looking for that mass of black hair. She barely took notice of the carnage around her. The death, the hate, and the utter destruction of a place she once held dear. Fires were burning in near by brushes. Screams of terror could be heard from inside the Hogwarts castle, where she was sure Death Eaters were doing things she dared not think about. Ginny tried not to look at the grass, seeing all the bodies that lay there; some whole, some torn apart, some bleeding and some as if they were merely taking a nap under the perfect weather. Faces of people she knew and those she didn't blurred in her mind. They were all dead. And now was not the time to mourn for them.

Even with the noises around her, she could hear the loud blasts of spells and buildings falling from Hogsmead, where Inferi and Dementors were coming by the dozens to attack the community. She could feel them in the air, their stench mixed in with acrid taste of the air about her. It tasted of blood, of salty tears, of death, and of evil. Her skin felt clammy and the goose bumps had stayed there since the battle began... all those hours ago.

"_Was it hours?"_ She had thought, "_It couldn't have been, the sun was as high as it is now when we started."_ It had been just after breakfast at Number Twelve Grimmauld place when the owl from Hogwarts and Hogsmead had arrived. She had just finished her cup of chocolate milk when Remus had rushed in, and told her to get her wand. Ginny had frozen for a solid five seconds before she pushed her chair back and snatched it from its place on the counter. She took no robe, so her jeans and her old Hogwarts white button up had been her battle fatigues. She looked down at herself now, and saw a large slash on the side, where a Death Eater had used Sectumsempra causing her to stumble to the ground at the beginning of battle. Blood had since then seeped from her left side, reaching over to her right, making the shirt look pink.

She ran out to stop a Death Eater from coming upon an unsuspecting Tonks. The redhead took out her wand, and thinking loudly, "Impedimenta", making the Death Eater look as if he were going in slow motion. Tonks was too busy fighting another attacker to notice as Ginny used the Killing Curse on him.

"Crucio!" she heard from behind her, and quickly fell to the floor. The red beam of light flew past her head, and into the Hogwarts wall, leaving a black mark upon the aged bricks. She shot up, with her wand out to see who had sent the curse.

"Well, look at what we have here," said a cruel voice, a smile playing on their lips, "a weasel that lost its way."

Bellatrix Lestrange's eyes were dark, and yet sparkling with madness the young woman had never seen in all her 20 years. Though Ginny hated to admit it at a time like this, but Lestrange looked almost beautiful. The last time Ginny had set eyes on her was at the Department of Mysteries in her fourth year, almost 6 years ago. She had been gaunt, and pale, her skin looked as if it had been stretched over her bones. But now, standing before Ginny was a beauty. Her hair was thick and a deep jet black. Her eyes were wide, standing out from the pale skin around them. Her lips were full and a deep red. She wore new robes, with the Dark Mark stitched upon it.

"Nope," Ginny said, as she stepped around the older woman, who held her wand in dueling position. "I am exactly where I am supposed to be," Lestrange laughed.

"You've grown, haven't you little Weasel?" she said in a playful manner, Ginny merely shrugged. "You're a woman now. Can hold your own?"

"You've gotten more senile, haven't you, Lestrange?" Ginny replied relishing in the way her opponent's lips went tight. "I've always been able to hold my own. Unlike you, who trails after Voldemort's robes..."

"Cour cidment!" screamed Bellatrix.

"Protego!" Ginny said in her mind. The older woman's jinx bounced off Ginny and into the Hogwarts walls once more.

"Interesting," Bellatrix said, her brow rising. "You are well trained in Non-verbal spells. I am almost impressed," she finished off, with an air of arrogance Ginny had only ever heard from one other person.

"Just you wait," Ginny said, and with determination she turned on her heels and began running back the way she came.

Ginevra could hear Bellatrix screaming at her to stop, to turn around and face her like a man; but Ginny knew what she was doing. She had to get her alone, absolutely alone, where no one could find them. Where Ginny could turn around and face Bellatrix one on one. The way things were going, they would have soon been intercepted by another Death Eater trying to defend the _Great Mistress'_ honor.

Ginny had to keep her following, as she dodged her way past people, spells, and fires. She missed hexes, curses, and jinxes by seconds as she ran her way around Hogwarts. Ginny could hear the screams of her attacker, as she sent hexes and curses. The redhead had thrown a few curses behind her, just to keep the up the fight with her. As she kept running, the people fighting became less and less, so that when she reached behind Hogwarts, it was empty.

Ginny ran into the forest, trying her best to put distance between Lestrage and herself, but keeping so that she could still hear her. As she went deeper into the thicket, the redhead heard screams. She stopped and listened, looking around she saw that a man clad in all black was carrying a young girl over his shoulder. He then took her around the waist and threw her to the ground, raising a cry from his captive. Ginny inched closer to them, not worrying if Bellatrix was behind her or not, she had to help her.

Adrenaline raced through her body as the masked man ripped the girl's outer Hogwarts robes off, laughing as the girl scratched and screamed at him to stop.

"Oh no girly," said the man almost three times as large as his prey. "This is going to be a wild ride," he chuckled a little as the blond girl screamed louder, fighting him off with her small fist. After that, Ginny ran at him, raising her wand.

"Levicorpus!" she screamed in her head as the man instantly flew into the air, dropping his wand in the process. He yelled, and began flailing about as he grabbed at the crying girl on the floor, who watched him with horrified amazement. Ginny with all her might, threw the man against a near by tree, almost smiling as she heard a crack as he fell to the ground. She then went over to the hysterical girl.

"Are you alright?" she asked quickly. The girl let out a scream as she said those words and pushed herself against the tree. "It's okay, I'm with the Order. Are you alright, did he hurt you?" she asked, looking at her pale face, her blue eyes shinning with tears.

"I'm okay," she breathed, bringing a shaking hand to her face. "Is he..."

"Not yet," Ginny said, turning her wand on him and saying the curse that would ensure he would never do that again. "What's your name?" she then asked her, her brown eyes met blue.

"Hyacintha Green," she said, wiping her eyes. Ginny jogged over to the fallen wand and handed it to the girl.

"Ginny Weasley," she said with a smile, as Hyacintha clutched onto the wand. Ginny turned her head to see trees being pushed aside, as heavy breathing hit her hears.

"C'mon out! I know you're in here little weasel!" came that snide voice again. Her heartbeat increased as she watched bushes being uprooted to clear a path for Bellatrix.

"Go deeper into the forest, hide. Don't let go of this wand till someone from the Order comes. Tell them what happened, and if any one who is not on the good side comes to you," Ginny looked to see a tree being uprooted and thrown out of her way, "kill them." Hyacintha only nodded and ran into the forest; Ginny then took off running, making a lot of noise so Lestrange had no problem in following her, and not the innocent girl.

Ginny felt a surge of magic rush past her ears and knew that the Death Eater was not far behind her. She dove off the path to the clearing beyond the trees. She ran and ran until she came to a small stone fence. She jumped it, landing on her feet in a run. She took a moment as she was running to see exactly where she was. Head stones flashed before her, names of wizards and witches who had long since died flashed before her as she reached the center of the cemetery.

As soon as she reached its center she was hit with a Cruciatus Curse, that sent her flying forward and onto the ground. She writhed in pain as the curse took its toll on her exhausted body. When it was over, she coughed into the grass, trying to take in large breathes to slow her heart beat. She sat up to see Bellatrix, her hand on a head stone, catching her breath as well.

"Aren't we a fast one?" she said in a ragged breath, her hand on her hip as if she had just run miles. Ginny still sat there, trying to catch her breath as well, noting that she had more stamina than the powerful witch before her. She had her youth over Bellatrix's magic, and that had to account for something. Had she not been hit with that curse, she most likely could have kept running.

Ginny quickly shot up and took a dueling stance before Great Mistress of the Death Eaters. Her dark brow quirked up as she looked at Ginny.

"So here we are, all that is left to duel," came Bellatrix with a smile.

In truth, Ginny had no idea why Bellatrix Lestrange was after her. The moment the two had set eyes on each other it became a hunt. The older woman had come after her full force; her wand pointed at her, every Unforgivable curse at her lips. Ginny had tried dueling her but someone had always gotten in their way. A Death Eater would attack the redhead from the side, while someone from the Order attacked Bellatrix. Since the woman wanted to fight, Ginny would give her one.

Yet the idea came to her mind as she stood before her, waiting for the older woman to catch her breath. The fact that Bellatrix Lestrange had killed many, much older and more experienced than herself. She had nearly killed Neville Longbottom's parents, had nearly killed her in the battle at the Department of Mysteries, killed Sirius Black, helped Lord Voldemort come back to power, and had killed many of her friends as the war waged on behind them. If Ginny killed her now, she would avenge the people who were most effected by her, including her fiancé Harry. She had caused him the most hurt and the most damage out of all people. The redhead watched as Lestrange took some hair out of her face, a smile playing across her cruel lips.

Ginny didn't know when it started or who said the first curse. All she knew was that suddenly she and the Great Mistress of the Dark Lord were dueling for their lives. They each sent curses at each other, some missing, and some hitting dead on. They dodged behind head stones, and fell onto stairs of the tombs. Blood was seeping from Ginny's nose as Bellatrix's eye was getting more swollen by the minute.

"Locomotor Mortis!"

"Protego!"

The two screamed at the same time. As Ginny's spell bounced off her shielding charm, cracking a near by angel right down the middle. Ginny wiped the blood on her hand, smearing it on her already bloody jeans. She looked at her opponent, as she stood, her stance a little hunched as she tried to stay with the younger woman's energy.

"Caught your breath?" Ginny asked haughtily. Bellatrix smiled.

"Waiting for you to catch yours," she told her simply.

"Levicorpus!" Ginny said loudly, as the raven haired woman sent a blasting curse that threw the redhead off her feet and into a cross that dug into her back. Ginny moaned as she dislodged herself from the grave and stood to her full height. Bellatrix raised her wand...

"EXPELLIARMUS..."

"LANGLOCK!" Ginny screamed as Bellatrix's curse came flying at her, hitting her in the chest, and sending her wand flying out of her hands. Ginny fell onto the floor with a thud, and moaned slightly as her arm slammed against a vase full of flowers, smashing it. The broken shards of glass cut her arm, sending pieces of porcelain into her skin. She let out a hiss as she took a thick piece out of her fore arm, throwing it across the grass. She then looked around, to see her wand lying not too far from where she had landed. She crawled on her belly to her wand and stretched her bloody arm to grab it when a booted foot kicked it away from her. She cried out and looked up to see the bleeding face of Bellatrix, her eyes wide with anger.

She pointed her wand at Ginny and she knew that it was over. She had failed to rid the world of a heinous killer. Brown eyes locked with deep black as Ginny dared her to speak the curse, but nothing came. Ginny furrowed her brow and looked at the elder woman with her eyes wide, and her forehead creased with anger. It was then that the redhead realized that her curse had hit its target, and Bellatrix's tongue was now glued to the roof of her mouth. With the realization that she could not curse her, she lifted a leg and kicked Bellatrix in the stomach causing her to stumble back and drop her wand.

The redhead shot up and ran to the fallen wand, when a foot came out and tripped her, causing her to land chin first onto a the grave of Apollyon Pringle. She rolled onto her back to see Lestrange crawling to her wand. Ginny, not to far from her, sized her by the leg and dragged her back, receiving a boot to the face. The hot blood gushed from Ginny's nose but she didn't care. She just couldn't let Lestrange get to her wand. If they couldn't fight with wands, she would fight with fists.

As Lestrange reached her wand and gave herself the counter curse and turned around to curse her prey. Instead of finding a cowering Ginny, she found a very bold Ginevra who gave a hard punch to the face that sent her falling to the ground. She looked up and pointed her wand at the redhead.

"Adva..." Ginny kicked the wand out of her hand, and grabbed Bellatrix by her expensive robes and threw her over another head stone. She landed on her feet, and waited for Ginny as she walked around the graves.

She threw a punch at the redhead that hit her hard in the mouth. Ginny returned it by tackling her to the ground. The two rolled around, punching and scratching, pulling and kicking as their bodies ran into graves, vases, bushes and statues of old Wizards now past. Some how, Bellatrix ended up on top of Ginny sending her three blows to her stomach and then one to the face. With all her might, the redhead threw the older woman off, sending her head long into a large white tomb. She looked around her and saw what they had been fighting for: a long wooden stick laid a breath away from Ginny. She reached for it and grabbed it with a fist.

Ginny looked at Lestrange out of one eye and saw that they had ended up at the site of Albus Dumbledore's tomb. She watched as Lestrange pushed herself up, leaving red hand prints on the sacred place. Ginny's mouth went dry, she remembered why she hated Bellatrix Lestrange; it was now much more than just Harry's happiness, it was hers as well. She had helped the Dark Lord come back to power. It was because of her that Draco Malfoy was able to resist the Legilimency of Severus Snape, and caused the death of the greatest wizard of all time. Ginny got up and stumbled over to the black haired woman, grabbing her by the front of her robes threw her off Dumbledore's tomb.

"Get off his grave," she growled at her, watching as Bellatrix attempted to get up. "You don't deserve to _look_ at his final resting place." Ginny's head was swimming; she could tell that she had lost too much blood. Her side was dripping blood on Dumbledore's pristine white tomb as she stood before Lestrange, her eyes coming in and out of focus.

"Let us finish this then," the Great Mistress said, giving Ginny a half grin. "You and I, to the death." she raised her fist in a battle stance and stood before a swaying Ginny. The two looked at each other through delirious eyes. Bellatrix no longer being the energized young woman was in pain beyond belief and so fatigued she thought she would lose with out much of a fight. Ginny had lost too much blood and her body wasn't used to this kind of physical assertion. The two were at an impasse.

"No," Ginny said, raising a wand at Bellatrix. Her eyes showed nothing but surprise as Ginny pointed her own wand at her. "I will finish this...ADVADA KADAVRA!" and with a scream, Bellatrix Lestrange fell to the floor.

Ginny soon followed. All her anger and strength went into that last killing curse. She heard nothing, only the soft breeze blow the near by trees and the cackling of the eternal flame that burned in the memory of Albus Dumbledore. She dropped the wand as her body collapsed underneath her. She fell onto the steps of the tomb, her head facing the blue sky above. She felt a sudden chill and like fire works, lights exploded all over the sky. Blue, Green, Red, Yellow and Orange sparks were sent into the air. Ginny knew what that meant.

Harry Potter had defeated Lord Voldemort.

And as Ginny fell into the darkness, she knew that when she woke up, all would be right with the world


	2. Imposter

A/n: Well, hello again! I would just like to say **THANK YOU** to all those who replied to my story! I am glad you enjoyed it! I am also thankful to those who put me on their author alerts! I will try to update as much as possible, but now that I am back in school, it may take a little longer!!

This plot line, I forgot to mention, is taken from season three of ABC's Alias! Its my most favorite show, or used to be at least, and I thought this plot line would be really great! Obviously, its not 100 the same, but there are a lot of silmiliarities! Not only that, but this is Also the disclaimer, anything to do with the JK Rowling Universe is hers, whats mine is mine, you all know the drill.

Long authors note, but it is done now.

Enjoy.

* * *

Ginny took in a large in take of breath, filling her lungs with warm humid air. She let out a low moan as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Her long hair was tickling her face, making her grimace. Slowly she lifted a hand to pull away the offending strands. She felt her rough face wiping the small bit of drool that was drying on her chin. Putting the hand back onto the hard earth, she slowly lifted her aching body from the ground.

Ginevra sat up and took in her surroundings. Her heart began to race as she read a red, blazing sign in front of her: "Corazon De Espero", blinking from red to black. She shielded her eyes from the numerous signs beyond it. All written in Spanish, some in English, broad casting exchange rates or bars. She furrowed her brows as people passed her by, not taking notice of her. They spoke quickly in Spanish, their dark complexions making it hard for Ginny to see where she had ended up.

She stood up slowly, for each movement made her dizzy, and her body felt as if it was made of lead. She took a better look around her, the sign of "Corazon de Espero" still blinked at her, and as she moved closer, she read in smaller print under the flashing neon lights _"The real Heart of Mexico City"_.

"Mexico City?" Ginny read to herself, "what?" She furrowed her brow, and looked into the restaurant. She watched the front for a bit, noticing how most people just walked by, even with the large blinking neon sign in front. She put her hand into the pocket of her dark Muggle jeans, hoping to find her wand and just apparate out of this place, because something was definitely wrong. She checked all her pockets to find no wand, no money, nothing but lint.

She bit her lip and breathed in, _okay_, she thought, _don't panic, there must be an explanation. _She looked around again, trying to find something that may click in her head. When nothing seemed to come to mind, she looked into the small restaurant, and with a look around, walked inside.

A large billow of smoke blew into her face as she entered the restaurant. As the smoke cleared, she felt as if she had just walked into her own Leaky Cauldron in London. All the people were dressed in Wizarding robes, though a lot shorter due to the heat. She walked up to the bar man, her hands sweating.

"¡Hola Señorita¿Qué usted gusto de beber?" he asked quickly, smiling at her. Ginny bit her lip nervously.

"Uh… Ministry of magic?" she asked, he smiled even bigger at her.

"You speek only Engleesh?" she nodded sheepishly at him. "Jou want el ministerio, si? Ah, I can take jou dere." Ginny let out the breath she seemed to have been holding and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you so much," she breathed, "everything is very confusing at the moment." She thought about waking up in front of this restaurant.

"Que nada. Tell me, señorita, what is jou name?"

"Ginny Weasley," She told him, looking around at the moving pictures on the wall as they walked out of the back if the restaurant. She didn't even notice until she ran into him that he had stopped.

Ginny kneeled in front of the large fire place, looking at the three uniformed men standing behind her, watching her every move. She gave them an ugly glare before turning back around to face the fire once more. She cleared her throat,

"Number Twelve Grimmauld place!" she yelled, sticking her head into the fire. She hoped someone was home, because she almost had to give the Ministry of Mexico her right arm to get an international floo to Britain.

She sighed as she looked into the familiar kitchen of Grimmauld place. Her brown eyes scanned the kitchen, noticing a new table and chairs, she didn't remember them talking about a new table. The whole room seemed to have a lot more lights around the place, it looked a lot brighter and friendlier.

"Hello!" she called out, "Is any one there? Harry, mum, dad?" there was no answer. Ginny was getting nervous, she had to do a lot of groveling and she didn't want it to go to waste because no one was home. "Hello! Anyone! Please!" she called louder, this time she heard approaching feet. Ginny sighed in relief as the door burst open and a pair of legs nearly ran over to her, dropping to their knees.

"Ginevra?" said the voice of Minerva McGonagall, her eyes wide as she looked at her.

"Thank Merlin!" she breathed, smiling brightly at her. "You have to help me; I'm being kept here…"

"Where are you? What's wrong?" she rushed, cutting her off.

"I have no idea what's going on. I woke up on the streets of Mexico City; they are keeping me in their ministry, not telling me anything." She replied, watching as McGonagall's eyes studied her face.

"Stay there. We will send someone. I will get someone to talk to the Ministry, just stay where you are." She told her sternly, as Ginny nodded, her deep eyes looking at her as if she had never seen her before.

"Alright, but…" she started, but she was pulled out of the fire by an official. She gave him a dirty look, before looking at the ashes that lay in the fire place, hoping someone was going to help her soon.

* * *

Ginny waited at the Ministry for nearly two days. The officials there wouldn't tell her anything, only that there had been a message received to keep her safe. They let her ask no other questions after that. So she waited. Ginny would stare at her self in the bathroom mirror, wondering why she had dyed her hair brown. It made her look pale and sick.

She left her bathroom and walked into the small bed room, sitting on the uncomfortable, hard bed. She ran a hand through her short brown hair and sighed. She wanted Harry to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. She looked down at her clothes that she had been wearing since she woke up on the streets in front of the restaurant. The dark Muggle jeans and a red tee shirt that fit snuggly on her chest, an outfit she sure she wasn't wearing when she had fought in the final battle. She pulled up the hem of her tee shirt to look at her stomach, seeing the long, angry red line. Giving a sigh, she shook her head, what the hell was going on? The redhead didn't have too much time to answer the question, because the door slowly opened.

Ginny gave a huge sigh of relief as the love of her life walked into the room. He looked at her for a long time as he stood at the thresh hold of the door, looking at her as if he had never seen her before. He looked away as he pushed up his glasses, closing the door behind him. The brown eyed woman wasted no time and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his chest, smelling his natural scent… was he wearing new cologne? She breathed in heavily for a few moments, just loving the feelings of being in his arms, before she began to cry. She cried and cried, not really knowing how stressed and confused she had been until she saw him. He would take control of this situation and make it all better. She held onto him, never wanting to let go.

"Oh Harry," she breathed, "I don't know what's been going on. I woke up on the streets outside this place. I had no wand, or money, my hair is this ghastly brown color, and I have no idea how I've ended up here. The ministry isn't telling me anything, keeping me like a prisoner and… I…"she looked up into his green eyes, "I just want to go home."

"Ginny," he breathed, pulling away from her. He looked into her deep brown eyes and sighed. "My Ginny," he said, stroking her face with his hands. She reached up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him as he held her face. As she kissed him, she felt… it felt… different; as if Harry was holding back. She didn't care; she just wanted to be with him. He would keep her safe; make sure everything would go back to normal. Harry had always treated her like a princess and all she wanted was to go home and officially be his wife. When she pulled away, his eyes slowly opened and then looked away from her. He looked almost pained. Ginny furrowed her brow as he removed her arms from around his neck.

"Come, sit," Harry told her, leading her to the bed and sitting her down as he pulled up a chair and sat it in front of her. He took her hand in his and held it tightly. They sat there for a long time, neither of them talking. Ginny sat there expectantly, wondering what was going on behind those beautiful green eyes. He studied her face, sighing as he finally looked away.

"Harry…"

"There is no easy way to say this, Ginny," he breathed, taking her other hand. "I… we…" she ran her thumb over his knuckles of his left hand. She felt his grip tighten as she felt cool metal under her thumb. She looked down at his hand, seeing a gold ring on his finger. She furrowed her brow.

"Harry," she started, letting go of his other hand to get a better look at the band, "why are you wearing that ring?"

"Ginny," he took his left hand out of her grasp. He didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at the gold band; which seemed to be sparkling back at Ginny. "It was after the battle," he started, his voice shaking as if he couldn't bear to say it. "I came back to find you. No one had seen you since the start of the battle."

"It's over then?" Ginny asked, a smile playing across her lips. "The war? Voldemort? The Death Eaters? It's all over? I thought I saw the sign of victory before I passed out." She smiled at him. "You defeated Voldemort?"

"Yes," he said, almost as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" she said, throwing her arms around him again. "This is great news. It means everything will go back to normal. We can do everything we promised we would after it was all over." He removed her arms once more, holding her hand in his. He closed his eyes and sighed, his face looking pained.

"You don't understand, Ginevra." He said, looking at her. "When I came back, I searched all over for you. We found a path through the Forbidden Forest; trees over turned, fires, I followed it to the graveyard." Ginny nodded.

"I battled Bellatrix Lestrange; I had to get her away from the main crowd. She was doing so much damage; I had to get her alone. She would have killed so many more had it not be for me." Harry looked away from her, looking around the small bedroom.

"I ran to the graveyard, as fast as I could, I used every ounce of strength to get there, in hopes of finding you. Instead…we… we found a body." He took a deep in take of breath. "It was you…"

"What?" she questioned, sitting up a bit straighter.

"It was your eyes, hair, everything. The healers confirmed that it was your body. The Aurors confirmed that the leftover magic in the air was left by you and Bellatrix Lestrange"

The now brown haired woman furrowed her brow. Yes, she had remembered fighting Bellatrix in the graveyard. The two had fought hard, each nearly killing the other. Yet she had won, she had killed Bellatrix and passed out from exhaustion. She didn't die. Of course she didn't, here she was sitting before Harry. How could they have found a body?

"Are you saying you all thought I was…?"

"We had a funeral," He breathed out, "everyone came to say their last respects."

"…dead," Ginny breathed out, her eyes feeling hot all of a sudden.

"Ginevra, this… all of this happened over three years ago." His eyes flew up to meet hers. "The entire Wizarding world thought you were dead, up until three days ago."

Ginny shot up, and walked into her bath room; turning on the water, she splashed a handful on her face. This was impossible. There was no way this was in any way true. She looked at herself in the mirror, watching as the droplets of water slowly roll off her face and onto her neck. This could not be so, it couldn't be. She looked deep into her brown eyes, feeling sick, feeling that this was all some sort of joke. She looked pass her eyes to see Harry standing behind her. She turned around.

"And now you are married," she said to him, as she walked out of the bathroom, her chest feeling suddenly tight.

"Yes," he said, looking down and at his ring as she came to him.

"How long?" she asked, wiping her face with the red tee shirt,

"A little over two years now," Ginny looked away from him.

No, this couldn't be true. Harry, her Harry, wouldn't have done this. He would have waited; he would have waited forever for her. Something was amiss here. Ginny looked at him critically, now that she looked at him, this Harry did look uncomfortable in his own skin. He was red, and fidgeting, his glasses were no longer round, but square with a thick black frame around them.

"How is mum?" she questioned, he sighed and ran a hand down his left arm; Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Well, everyone is..." but he never got to finish his sentence, because Ginny had punched him squarely in the nose, causing him to stagger back. She then kicked his legs out from him, he fell hard on this back as Ginny jumped on top of him; she grabbed his hands, holding them over his head. She then reached into his robes and grabbed his wand from his holster.

"Listen, I don't know who the fuck you are but I know Harry Potter. Is this a trick to get information? Did Voldemort send you? Bellatrix?! Who!"

"Ginny!" He wheezed out as she held the wand firmly against his neck. "This is me, it's Harry."

"Don't give me that, I don't know why I've been kept here but I've fought a lot bigger men than you. Now if you don't tell me who sent you, I will be forced to use the killing curse. Now tell me!"

"Ginny!" he said again, as he attempted to lift his arms, Ginny held them firmly, using all her strength. He struggled for a few moments against her before she grew tired of his attempts.

"Locomotor Mortis!" she said in her head, as his legs locked together. She jumped up then, and ran to the door.

"Ginevra! Don't do this; it's not what you think." She didn't even look back as she opened the door and ran out of the room.

Ginny ran down the hall way, passing door after door as she headed toward the stairs she knew were close by. As she rounded the corner she had been looking for, she was faced with three officials that had been lounging at the door that lead into the Ministry offices. They stood up, and looked at her flushed face, a wand gripped firmly in her hand.

"¿Que pasa¿Donde estan señor Potter?" She furrowed her brow, as they raised their wands to her.

Ginny, feeling that all of this including the officials had to be a ploy by the Death Eaters, stood her ground. They began to shout at her, no doubt telling her to drop her wand. She just stood there, her wand at the ready, waiting for any of them to strike. The official on the left then shouted a curse, causing her wand to fall from her hand and onto the ground. She held her hands up as they came toward her, pointing their wands at her chest. One of them reached to her out stretched hand, and instead of going willingly, she turned and grabbed him by the shoulder, throwing him into the official to her left. The man in front of her ran to her, his wand out. She threw a punch into his nose, causing him to grab it as blood began to flow. One of the men from the floor stood up and punched Ginny, causing her to stumble back into the hall way she had just come from. She stood up and as he came at her, grabbed his arm, twisting it around him and rammed his head hard into the wood wall in front of them.

Once he had slid to the ground, Ginny grabbed his wand and pointed it at the last man standing before her. She gripped it tight, wondering what he was thinking, wondering what curse he was going to throw, and what she would use to block it. She breathed in heavily, and thought to herself that she didn't care. They were Death Eaters, they had to be. This was all just some ploy and she felt sick because they had used a Harry imposter. No one could be like Harry; no one could love her like Harry. He would always be true, so using this sad excuse was just laughable. Her Harry would never betray her.

"Adficio Corpus!" she heard from behind her. Suddenly, it felt as if she was extremely tired, more tired than she had ever been in her life; her whole body felt numb and heavy. The wand suddenly felt too heavy to hold, and let it fall to the floor. She stumbled over to the nearest wall and slid down it, never having felt so exhausted in her life. Her eyes began to droop, and as she looked to her left she saw Harry standing there, his wand pointed at her.

"It's okay," He said to the officials who had gotten up and stood before her with their wands out. "She was just confused, please, lower your wands." She couldn't even tell the Potter imposter to sod off, because suddenly she felt so sleepy. Her brown eyes looked into his green ones as he kneeled in front of her, taking her into his arms.

"It's alright, Gin, it's alright." And she didn't even have the strength to fight him off as she slipped into unconsciousness.


	3. Family

A/n: Why can't I get a beta?!! This is really upsetting! I'm trying to find time to write, but being back at school is kind of slowing me down… I am sure you know the drill.

And thanks for those who reviewed! Made me smile… to the other… 500 of you… shame!

Laters kids!

* * *

Ginny opened her eyes to blinding white. She shut them quickly, feeling a huge headache pounding at her temples. She breathed in heavily and opened her eyes once more. Looking around she noticed the high ceilings and all too familiar portraits moving about. She felt clean and crisp as she looked at herself, wearing pink flannel pajamas; her favorite ones. She rolled her neck and laid back down, it was a dream, all of it. She must have had terrible nightmares due to the harsh battling she had done the day before. The brown eyed woman looked around the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, looking for the others. 

As she scanned the large room, she found that she was all alone. The place seemed void of all life, even Madam Pomfrey couldn't be seen bustling around in her office. She furrowed her brow, _where is everyone_, she thought to herself. They did just finish having a war, shouldn't casualties from all over be arriving at Hogwarts for help. She sat up again, and looked at the table next to her with a glass of water and another glass filled with pumpkin juice.

Ginevra took the water cup and brought it to her lips, letting the cool water hit her dry throat. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the cooling effect it had on her body. She pulled it away and set it back onto the drawer. She looked back down at herself, noticing that nothing seemed to be too different. She touched her hair, and ruffled it a bit, taking it out of the band that was holding it back. Ginny expected to see her red tendrils fall from its prison, but instead the same dark brown from her dream fell.

"What?" she asked herself, as she looked at it, pulling more and more from her head as she saw its dark coloring. It was the same color as that horrible dream she had. Where she woke up on the streets of Mexico City, her Harry had been married, and she had been presumed dead. She furrowed her brow and thought that this had to be a dream as well. To be sure, Ginny pulled down the sheets and lifted the hem of her shirt. There it was: the long angry red scar that ran along her stomach.

"Ms. Weasley?" said a voice; the young woman looked up to see a woman standing there, her white healer robes blending in with the rest of the room. Ginny furrowed her brow at her. "I am Madam Wright, I run the hospital wing here at Hogwarts." Ginny smiled warily, before responding to her.

"I thought Madam P…"

"She passed away a few years ago," the woman told her, looking at her with soft blue eyes. "Head Mistress McGonagall wants me to inform her of when you woke up. There are some people here to see you." To that, Ginny shook her head, but it was too late, because Madam Wright was already heading to the doors of the hospital wing.

"She's awake," She announced, and Ginny had to hide her groan as her mother burst into the room, running over to the young woman and throwing her arms around her.

"Ginny!" she cried, holding her daughter close, crying loudly into her ears. Ginny didn't know how to respond to her mother, her hysterics she was used to, but this was just down right frightening. Her mother began to wail about how much she missed her, and she always knew that her little girl was alive. "The clock!" she said, pulling away from her, "It said mortal peril, then suddenly, it said home." She looked into her daughters eyes. "We all thought it meant that you had gone to the eternal home. What does that mean dear, home? Where have you been?" Ginny opened her mouth before her mother cut her off. "Oh, what does that matter now, you are alive, and you are home! You are back to where you belong! Oh darling, how I've missed you." She pulled her youngest daughter back into a bone breaking hug, Ginny coughed a bit, not getting any air to her lungs.

"Molly, Molly," said her father, taking a crying Molly from her daughter. Ginny let out a breath, "we just got our Gin back, we don't want to go and kill her all over again." He then looked up at Ginny with a smile. He gently placed his wife in a chair and came to his daughter, taking her hands in his. He looked at her for a long time, just taking in her face. His eyes searched her for a long time, and then suddenly tears began to fall.

"Is it really you?" he asked, raising a hand to her hair and stroking it. "Is this my little girl?"

"I hope so," She grinned at him, and he took her into his arms, just holding her close to his body. They stayed like that for a few minutes, the only noise coming from her mothers hysterical crying. After a few moments, someone cleared their throat.

"If you don't mind," Came her brother Charlie, Ginny looked at him, noticing his shorter hair, his fang ear ring gone. "I think the rest of us would like a little time with our sister." He gestured passed him, and Ginny smiled. She almost forgot how many brothers she really did have.

Her father let go of her, and Ginny pulled down the covers and got out of bed. She stood before her band of brothers, and simply smiled. She was then covered in a sea of red hair as each brother took their time holding her. They smiled and hugged her, each trying to hold back their tears.

"I've pulled some great stunts in my day," Came George holding her tightly, "but coming back from the dead, by far, is the best thing I've ever seen." He ruffled her hair and smiled. "You look like shit," he told her with a laugh. She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"It's brown," she told him, pulling at her messy locks. "Don't ask me how, I wish I knew." He nodded, and stepped back into the family group.

Ginny then felt something strange, she felt like an outsider. They were all standing there in a pack, the strong family. And there she was looking at them without a thing to say. She looked to each face, noticing a more mature Weasley family. Charlie had cut off all his hair. George wore a well tailored suit. Her mother no longer wore her knitted sweaters, but a dark blue robe from the shops. Bill's scarred face seemed a lot more healed, that she almost had to squint to see them.

"Where's Ron?" She asked, realizing that he was not the only brother missing, "and Percy and Fred? Are they not here?" The family then looked at each other, each speaking to another without words. She furrowed her brow at the familiar messages being sent. There was something going on that she wasn't informed of. "Well?"

"Ginny," Started Bill, moving from the crowd to face her. He looked down and into her brown eyes. "Percy and Fred, they never made it out of the war."

Ginny took a large intake of breath as she fell back onto her bed. Dead. Her brothers were dead. Tears welled up into her eyes as she thought about Fred; his warm smile, always hiding mischief behind them. He may have always been a prankster, but he was one of the smartest people she had ever known. Then her Percy, who she hadn't seen him the last six months due to all the family issues. The last time she had seen him was when she had went to see Harry at the Ministry, and he had passed her by, giving her a small smile, and kept walking past her. She had been furious with him; he hadn't even acknowledged his own sister. She had said she was glad she didn't have to talk to his pompous ass. Yet now, she would never be able to see him again, or even get the chance to tell him that she loved him. Her chest felt tight and everything seemed to be going in slow motion. She felt hands on her shoulders and looked into Charlie's soft brow eyes. Ginny simply collapsed into his chest, crying so hard she almost couldn't breathe.

"When? How?" she wheezed, trying to fill her lungs with air.

"Fred battled in Hogsmead against the Inferi. It was a Death Eater that finished him, he died a hero." Said George, with a sad, proud smile. She nodded, and closed her eyes.

"And Percy?"

"Bellatrix," her father said simply. She looked up quickly, feeling so much hate and sadness she felt light headed. So much had happened and she hadn't been there for anything.

"So, you had to bury all of us?" She said to her family with a small smile. "I am so sorry." She told them, feeling as if it was her fault that he had died, that she had died. That everything was so messed up.

"Oh Ginny," Came her mother, taking her hand. "You didn't know any of this was going to happen. This is all so, so confusing. We know Percy and Fred are gone…"

"Do you?" Ginny asked, looking up at her mother, tears falling from her eyes. "How do you know? You all thought I was dead, and here I am. I don't know what has been going on, but something is amiss. How do we know they aren't alive? How do we know that we haven't been fooled again?"

"Ginny," Came her father, his eyes filled with tears. "You don't know how many times I've thought that since you've been back. When I heard that I got to have one of my children back, it was a true miracle, but to hope for all of you, is too much. Percy and Fred are at peace, and we can only be glad to have you back into our lives." Arthur smiled sadly at her, the lines in his face even deeper than before.

"And Ron?" she asked, her face pained. "Please don't tell me that I have to hear that he is gone as well. I don't think I could take it."

"He's fine," replied Bill with a smile, placing a hand on her back "He's … married, you know, Hermione, two years now. And he's with her… and…"

"He's with Harry right now," said George, not looking at Bill. "There is no point in lying to her, she should know everything." He said to him, shaking his head. "Don't keep things from her, with all she has been through, she should get nothing but the truth." He turned back to her with a shrug. "He said he will see you when you get out of here, but he and Hermione have been with him since you were brought back to Britain." Ginny nodded mutely, letting more tears fall down her face.

"So it is true," she said, looking at her hands with interest, "he…he got married."

There was an awkward silence as the Weasley family looked at each other. They all knew how much Ginny and Harry loved each other. How they had planned to get married after the war was settled. No body could mistake the pure signs of adoration and devotion they held for each other. But after she was pronounced dead, none of them could blame him for moving on. With Ginny back after three years, it was hard to chose, a friend they had helped to get over her death, or the girl back from the dead.

"Ginny," Came her mother, her eyes filling with tears once more. "It's… he had to…"

"I was dead," Ginny said with a bit of venom in her voice. "I can't…" _blame him_, she had thought, but she could, Ginny could blame Harry. He had given up; he hadn't even waited a year before she was, supposedly, cold in her grave. "I would have hoped Ron would want to see his sister that came back from the dead, but if Harry is having a hard time with this, I'm sure I can wait."

"Gin, that's not fair," Came Charlie, shaking his head. "You don't know how it… he nearly…"

"I don't want to talk about Harry Potter." She said lying back down onto her bed. "I don't want to… I just want to get to sleep. I'm pretty tired." The whole family looked at each other and nodded; they all got up and walked to the double doors of Hogwarts.

"Before we go," Came her father, as her mother walked out of the door leaving the two alone. "I wanted to know, if you felt comfortable with it of course, as to whether or not you wanted to come home to the Burrow?"

"Of course," She said with a sigh, "I want to leave as soon as possible." He nodded at her and smiled.

"Madam Wright said you can be out of here by tomorrow."

"Perfect," Ginny said as he walked out of the Hospital wing.

* * *

The next day Ginny was able to leave the Hogwarts Hospital wing and travel home. A place she hadn't even realized she missed, since it felt like only yesterday that she had been there sleeping in her own bed. She traveled by floo with her father to the family room of the Burrow, not really expecting anything. She stepped out from the fire place and had to stop. 

Everything about the Burrow was completely different. Instead of the old, comfortable, multi-colored couch was a large green leather one, obvious extremely expensive and one of a kind. It stretched from one end of the room to the other, the family crest imprinted on the back. She tore her brown eyes away from it when it caught on the paintings around the house. All their childhood portraits were gone, replaced with large moving pieces of old family and famous wizards, including Dumbledore, each looking at her, giving her questioning stares.

"Who are you!" exclaimed the portrait of an old Witch, her red hair pulled back in an intricate bun. "There are no Weasley women left!" Ginny ignored her and continued her appraisal of the new Weasley home.

The walls were even different, the old wooden walls were painted a soft brown, making the room look new. She turned around to look at her father who was leaning against the mantle piece.

"What happened here?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "It's so… it's so different."

"Your mother," He said with a shrug, "And Harry. They couldn't stand all the reminders of the way things used to be, the times we all spent together. It was an easy outlet for them when you, Fred, and Percy died." Ginny by then hadn't been paying attention, because she was looking at all the pictures sitting on the mantel.

There were pictures of Bill and Fleur with a third daughter Ginny had never seen. She was still squirming in Bills arms as their two boys clung to their mothers legs. Her eyes roamed over the next picture, which was of Ron and Hermione on their wedding day. Ginny bit back tears as the two kissed at the altar; their face lighting with happiness as they pulled away, the minister behind them mouthed "man and wife". Hermione had never looked so beautiful, her lovely white dress flowing from her body, her hair up in a messy bun that just accentuated her lovely face. Ron looked so mature in this picture, as if he had really grown up, his face was darker, and his eyes more set in his face. They both looked so much older, yet the smiles that lit their face made them seem as if they had just left Hogwarts.

Ginny felt hot tears start down her face as she looked at the largest picture on the mantel. It was the framed cut out of the Weasley Family in Egypt, when her father had won money from the Ministry of Magic. There they all where, the entire Weasley clan, young and happy. Then, they only worried about whispered questions of Voldemort, and how Ron was going to get into trouble with Harry Potter that year. However, now, with two children passed, and one back from the dead, it was no wonder that the family had still kept together. She sniffed a bit; as she stared at the family she loved so much, and cried harder for the brothers that she had lost. Her Fred, her Percy, they were gone, and Ginny had all the time, and no time at the same moment to miss them.

The rest of the photos were of her brothers with their wives, and new children Ginny had never met. The last time Ginny knew, Charlie was dating a Romanian girl, but had never met her. Three years later, they could still be together. Ginny finally reached the place where her father was standing, his face grim as he looked at his daughter. She was looking around him, but it was obvious after a few moments that he was hiding something from her. His eyes never met hers, but he refused to move as Ginny kept looking over the pictures next to him.

"What?" she asked, looking at him with confusion. "What are you hiding, dad?"

"Ginny, I think its best if you just got some rest."

"I'm not tired," She told him. "What's behind you?"

He sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit, "I think we can keep this one till later, when you are more settled."

"I've never felt more at home," She said sarcastically, and her father raised a brow; his Ginny was never sarcastic. "Move."

"Ginny…"

"Dad, three years of my life have just been taken away," She hissed, her eyes going into slits. "There is so much I am unaware of, this house is so different. Everyone is so different. Percy and Fred…" she stopped and cleared her throat. "You can't keep things from me, dad, whatever it is, I am ready for it. Now, please move." He looked at her, his eyes boring into hers, his little girl. Yet she was no longer a little girl, she had grown coarse. She was menacing, she commanded power, and she had never done that before. He sighed when she didn't break his gaze, but slowly lifted a brow at him. Arthur had no choice but to nod, and move aside.

Ginny's chest went tight as she looked at the picture her father had been hiding. She walked closer to it, picking it up from the mantel. She felt her face fall as she held the edges tightly in her hand.

"It looked like a beautiful wedding," Ginny said looking up at her father, his face sad. "I…" she didn't know what she was going to say. She held the picture and looked at the face of Harry Potter, her Harry, as he held the hands of another girl at the altar. His clean, crisp, black robes fit him perfectly, as the slight wind tussled his black hair, which still hadn't obeyed him even on his wedding day. Ron and Remus stood behind him, smiling broadly at him, though Remus didn't look as ecstatic as Ron did. Harry was wearing those awful square rimmed glasses, but that didn't stop the way he was looking at her. Ginny almost didn't look over at the woman who had taken Harry from her. Although they all thought Ginny was dead, that didn't excuse the way everyone seemed alright with Harry getting married. She was beautiful, from what Ginny could tell, though it could have been because all the charms on her face and hair, or the veil that hung around her, hiding it from Ginny. Hermione and another girl stood behind the bride, lovely blue dresses making them look beautiful.

The brown eyed woman sighed and put the picture back on the mantle. She couldn't believe it, it was true. She kept trying to tell herself that it was all a hoax. That Harry really wasn't married, but … playing some cruel joke on her, to make sure it was her, and not an imposter. Yet the evidence was there, right in front of her eyes and she had to finally admit it to herself: Harry had gone and fallen in love with someone else.

It hurt her more than she could say. The fact that he could go on, he must have dated her for at least a year, he wouldn't have jumped into marriage so easily, would he? Ginny didn't know what to think any more, since this new man wasn't the one she had left those three years ago. She sighed as she looked around the house. This no longer felt like her home, this place was new. Filled with new memories, new feeling, and a different family than she remembered. She looked at her father and bit her lip.

"I don't think I want to stay here," she told him softly, looking at the picture of her entire family. Her father took the picture from her hands and placed it back onto the mantel. His brown eyes searched her face, making sure that this was what she wanted. "I don't feel… I don't know what I feel, to be honest. I just know, I can't stay here."

"There is a place you can go." He said, nodding at her decision, this was obviously not her home any more.

* * *

That night Ginny sat quietly at the kitchen table in Number Twelve Gimmauld place. Since it no longer belonged to Harry, she didn't feel uncomfortable when her father suggested it. She liked being here, since it was used as more of an office and a meeting place than an actual home. The portrait of Sirius Black's mother still hung in the foyer, except that it had permanent curtains, and about a dozen different spells to keep it that way. The furniture had been taken out; there were new ones that were cozy and warm. It was had more light, with candles and torches in the house to give it a warm glow. A picture of Albus Dumbledore hung in the main family room, and his peaceful face gave the entire house a great feel. 

Here, she was away from Harry and her family. She was away from the fact that everything really had changed; that three years had been taken from her life and she didn't know what had happened to her. She sat at the table drinking a butter beer as she mulled over these thoughts. What had they done to her? Had Death Eaters captured her and made her …Ginny shuddered to think about it. Had Bellatrix Lestrange kidnapped her, was she even dead? The endless possibilities ran over and over in Ginny's mind as she sat there, swirling the left over contents of her drink. She had to know what happened to her; there was no way she could go on pretending that her life was the same. Everything was so different, that must mean something. She even felt changed, she felt coarse, and harder. Her hair was brown for Merlin's sake! She looked ghastly. What could have prompted her to do that to herself? The woman gave another lowly sigh as she finished her drink.

The door to the kitchen was pushed open and Ginny looked up to see someone she had been wondering about.

"Remus?" she asked, her voice feeling strained. He smiled at her and gave a sigh, his brown eyes twinkling at her.

"Hello Ginevra," He said simply, giving her a small smile. She looked at him for a long time; he had gotten older, his face had more lines than she ever remembered. His hair had turned practically white, which worried her since he was only about 43 years old. His robes looked new however, no patches or stitches on them. As she looked into his eyes, she saw the weight of the world in them.

"Hello," She answered back awkwardly, since it felt as if it were yesterday that she saw him in battle. "I…"

"Before you start, I just want to let you know how much I've missed you." Ginny sagged a bit, as if he was going to be the voice of reason in all this. It was always Remus that kept a level head; he always made her see what was really happening. "What happened when you woke up in Mexico City," he started, coming to sit across from her, "That was the real Harry Potter that showed up at your room at their ministry. We've talked to the minister of the Mexican Ministry since then, and he has agreed to press no charges, or to reveal that you were found." Ginny just shook her head.

"I…" she started, looking at him with utter confusion. "What do you mean? What is going on here, Remus?"

"Before I tell you what's been going on, first you must tell me what you remember." He leaned in closer, his hands resting on the wooden table. "How exactly did you end up in Mexico City?" She shook her head, biting her lip.

"I have no clue," She replied, trying her hardest to remember anything before she woke up there. "The last thing I remember is fighting Bellatrix in the graveyard. I killed her. Then I passed out, and the next thing I knew, I was there; just on the streets."

"You don't…" he looked deep into her eyes. "You don't remember _anything_ else, anything at all. Nothing?"

"No," He didn't say anything for a moment; he then stood up and walked over to the fire place, placing a hand on the mantel. Ginny looked at him as the lines on his forehead increased as he stared at the roaring fire.

"Three years," He said, turning around to face her, a mask having replaced his earlier expression. "A lot has happened since you've been… gone."

"My brothers are dead," She said softly, her eyes focusing on the label of the Butterbeer. She fingered it softly, remembering the numerous things about them: Percy was allergic to apricots, Fred loved Earl Grey tea. They were her flesh and blood, part of who she was, and now they were gone. Where had she been during their funerals, this thought tore at her.

"I know," Remus' voice brought her out of her thoughts, she gave another sigh.

"Harry," she almost whispered, "He's married, Remus." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, thinking of him on his wedding day. The best robes, his hair as tussled as ever.

"Yes," Remus replied softly. "He did get married." Ginny stood up and put the bottle on the table, closing her eyes. Hearing from Remus made it suddenly seem worse; he always made things seem so real. "It's not the end of the world, Ginny."

"Easy for you to say," She said bitterly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You didn't have three years of your life taken away with out any idea of how it all happened. Where you've been, or who had done it to you."

"That's true... but..."

"Everything is so different." She cried, turning around suddenly to face him. "Everything. My parents, my house, my brothers, my fiancé, my sodding hair!" Ginny exclaimed, letting her tears fall freely. "I hate not knowing, I hate being here and seeing how everyone went on without me."

"We all thought you were dead, Gin." He said, standing in front of her. "Everyone mourned you; the body was an exact match. We lost so many that day, we had no reason to doubt another." She nodded, feeling her chest go tight at the idea of her world thinking she had died.

"Part of me," she whispered, looking away from him, "part of me wish I had stayed dead, and then I wouldn't have to come back to a place I am not even apart of any more. I can't just sit around and know that someone out there knows what happened to me."

"Don't act like such a victim, Ginevra." Came Remus sternly, staring at her. "What would have expected us to do? Stay in mourning forever? Do you know how much it killed us to know that you would never come back? Your mother didn't leave her bed for ages, your father fell sick, Harry…" Remus trailed off, looking down as if to stop him from saying too much. "Even I," He said, stepping closer to her. "To lose another friend… and Tonks…" she looked up suddenly, tears falling faster than ever.

"Remus, no…"

"She died fighting, just like she would have wanted to," He said a ghost of a smile on his lips, "She took her last breath in my arms." Ginny suddenly threw her arms around him, letting her own tears fall onto his chest. She knew how much Remus adored Tonks, how he treated her like a queen and yet as his equal. In Remus' eyes she was perfect, even with her constantly changing appearance. She held onto him, knowing that though no tears fell, Remus felt her loss constantly. She loved him very much, he had always been a good friend and confident to her, and to know that she wasn't here to help him though his hard time killed her. She should have been here for Remus; it should have been Tonks to come back, not her.

"Oh Rem," She said, referring back to his nick name. "I am so sorry I wasn't here, I am so sorry…"

"You've nothing to apologize for Ginevra." He replied, resting his head on top of hers. "I am just glad to have one of my girls back." She pulled away from him and held his hand in hers, looking into his brown eyes. "Though I do hate this brown." Ginny laughed whole heartedly and slapped his arms, feeling suddenly better.

"I haven't had the time to stop and change it." She sighed again. "Remus, I need to know what happened to me. I need to find out; I can't go on if I don't know."

"I know you can't." He said to her. "And I wish I knew where to start, but I can't go running around the Wizarding World asking. It is all extremely suspicious, you coming back after we all had put your memory to rest. Not too many people know of you coming back, a few select members of the Order; McGonagall obviously, your family, Harry and myself. But most of it has been kept under wraps, for whatever reason you came back and came back with no memory of ever being gone. We decided that it's best if we kept it all under lock and key. There was a large investigation when you died." He grabbed the folder he had brought in from the table and beckoned her over. Ginny stood beside him as numerous Daily Prophets were taken out and he began shuffling through other papers. She grabbed a few and opened them.

On the front page was a huge picture of her, Fred, and Percy; underneath the picture read: _"Casualties of War: Three Members of the Weasley family found dead"_

She immediately put that down; she didn't want to hear the sordid details of her own death. She took a seat at the table and waited patiently for Remus to go though his large stack of papers. After a few minutes of shuffling he came back with a large stack.

"This is what we had come up with. It's not much; it is a tracking of all your moves from the war. Who saw you, when, what you were doing. It's all pretty much the same up to the graveyard."

"Where I killed Bellatrix, yes." Ginny said, nodding. Remus shook his head.

"The only body found in the graveyard… was yours, Gin." The brown eyed woman furrowed her brow.

"What?" she questioned, "but, I killed her, I know I did."

"When we arrived at the grave yard only your body was there. There was no wand or anything; there were a few traces of blood and the left over magic in the air. The body of Bellatrix Lestrange was never found. That is why this is all so suspicious. We all thought you were dead; the hunt for Bellatrix went on. It still is, but with Lord Voldemort gone for good now, the Aurors figured it would be useless for many of the Death Eaters to continue on. Sure there were a few cases of them trying to come back to power, but it was all squashed within days. Now, with you back, the search may take a different direction. You both fought at the graveyard, both of you supposedly were killed, but it turns out that neither of you had died. With you back, it's only a matter of time before we can find Bellatrix."

"Why is that?" Ginny asked, furrowing her brow. "What do I have to do with that woman?"

"You were the last person to see her alive, and vice versa. Though you may not consciously remember it, we may be able to find out what happened."

"How?"

"Legilimency," He said simply, Ginny bit her lip at the thought.

"I suppose that could work," She told him simply, letting out a sigh. "I will do it; I will do anything, as long as I know what's going on."

"You were trained in Legilimency, right?" he asked.

"No, Occlumency. Har… _he_ thought it necessary in case of capture." She gave a chuckle. "A lot of sodding good that did me." Remus gave a sigh.

"Ginevra, you must keep a positive attitude about this. It will take time, but I need you to stay strong so we can do this. It will be a lot of hard work to figure out what has happened to you. Now, I want you to get some sleep, and tomorrow we will start with the Legilimency." Ginny nodded solemnly, feeling like a child that was just sent to bed by her father. She got up from the table and took the paper of her and her brothers from the paper.

"I'm going to keep this if you don't mind." She told him folding up the paper, "As a reminder."

"Of what?"

"So that when I find the person who did this, I will remember to kill them." She said simply, and with that she turned around and left the kitchen.


	4. Legilimency

A/n: sort note… things are coming alone slowly but surely. I've reached 1000 viewings, thanks kids! And to the 22 faithful, I love you even more!

Enjoy.

* * *

The next morning Ginny awoke to the sound of pounding on her door. She rolled her eyes and turned over. She wasn't in the mood to get up and answer the sodding door. She gave a sigh and attempted to go back to sleep. After a few moments however, the pounding started again, she grumbled.

"Minnie, answer the sodding door!" she yelled, letting out a sigh.

"Minnie?" came a voice. Ginny sighed and got out of bed.

"What?" she asked as she opened the door, looking at the blob standing before her. She wasn't much of a morning person.

"Who is Minnie?" Ginny blinked a few moments and then rubbed her eyes, getting the sleep out of them. When her eyes finally came back into focus she saw the worried face of Remus.

"I…" the young woman furrowed her brow and cleared her throat. "I don't know what you are talking about?" she said, as she walked back to her bed.

"You told Minnie to answer the sodding door, who is Minnie?" Remus asked again as she watched her sit on her bed. She gave a low sigh as she bit her lip. Who the hell was Minnie? Ginny honestly didn't know why she had said that, she had never heard that name before.

"I don't really know," She told him honestly, looking up at him. "It kind of just… came out, I suppose." She looked up at him suddenly with large eyes. "Could it… I mean, do you think I knew a Minie when I was gone?"

"It could be Ginny," He told her simply, looking out her window. He stayed quite for a few moments before turning back to her, their brown eyes meeting. "Get dressed; the Auror is in the kitchen waiting for you." He said with an awkward smile. Ginny simply nodded.

"Of course, the Legilimency." She said, as he walked out of her room, closing the door with a soft click.

Ginny stood up and walked to her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. To be honest, Ginny had an idea of who Minnie was. She had thought it to be her house elf. When had she known a house elf by the name of Minnie? Ginny gave a sigh as she looked into her brown eyes. She turned the water on and splashed water on her face, loving the feeling of the cold water hitting her skin. Today, some stranger was going to break into her mind to find out where she had been. It was going to be long and arduous, but she had to do it. She couldn't go on one more second not knowing why everything was the way it was. Ginny gave a loud sigh. Things were going to be different today; today she was going to face her reality.

Ginny walked out of her room ten minutes later, clean and dressed. She felt awkward in what she had picked out to wear. Her father had brought the clothes that had been in her room from the Burrow. It was mostly old Hogwarts uniforms and a few t-shirts she had left there. Most of her clothing had been in her flat with Harry, but apparently they hadn't felt the need to keep any of her things. So she walked out in jeans that were too large, she must of lost some weight while she had been gone, because they barely hung on to her hips. Along with an old grey t-shirt that must have been from her Hogwarts days, since it was so short. She pulled it down as she tied her hair up in a pony tail, making sure it was out of the way for the Auror. She was going to find out what happened to her today, and she was scared and excited at the same time. Those three years were in her mind some where, and knowing Remus, he had gotten the best Legilimens alive.

When Ginny reached the kitchen door she stopped. She gave a loud sigh and furrowed her brow. She wanted to know, of course she did, but at the same time she didn't. What if something terrible had happened to her? What if she had done terrible things to others, she couldn't live with herself if she knew that she had done things that couldn't even remember. A war had just ended, and if she had been kept by Death Eaters, well she didn't think that she could handle it. She turned around to leave, suddenly scared of what could have happened.

"She will be fine; we just need to get through to her." She heard Remus' voice, "She just needs to know what you are here for that reason and that reason only. Don't you make this any harder for her than it already is," she furrowed her brow as she slowly pushed open the door of the kitchen.

"I don't know if I can promise that, Remus."

"Hello Ginevra," Came Remus, walking around the person standing in front of him. Ginny didn't even look at him as Harry Potter turned around to face her.

"Remus?" Ginny asked, not tearing her eyes away from Harry. His eyes kept dodging from her to his surroundings. Trying his hardest not to catch eyes with her. "What is he doing here?" she asked, not hiding the hate from her voice.

"He is here for the Legilimency," he told her plainly, taking her arm and leading her to the table in front of Harry. She pulled back and shook her head.

"No, not with him," She said seriously.

"Ginny," came Remus standing in front of her to block the view of Harry, "this isn't time for dramatics, we need to do this if we are going to find out what has happened. You of all people should know how skilled Harry is in Legilimency."

"There isn't someone else?" she asked, her eyes still glued to Harry, feeling her chest go so tight she thought it may burst. "Kingsley? Moody? Any body?"

"Kingsley has been retired from the Aurors for two years now, and Moody has taken what is left of him to Australia. Harry is the best there is," he then leaned closer to her, so that he was talking into her ear, "you have to let your feelings go, Ginevra, if we are going to do this. Be strong you just have to try to look past what has happened."

Her eyes rose to meet Harry's, his green orbs that she loved so much stared back at her. For a moment, Ginny searched his face, looking for signs of the Harry she once loved. It was him, physically, but emotionally, she had never felt so distant from him. They had spent all those years together, and to wake up to be all over was torture. He gave a sigh as he looked into her eyes, his own pain sparkling back at her. She broke eye contact and looked back at Remus.

"How long do you think it will take?" she asked, side stepping him and sitting on the opposite side of Harry. The two men looked at each other as Remus took his place next to Harry.

"It depends on how easy it will be to get through to your memories." He said, taking a seat across from her. Ginny sat with her arms crossed, trying her hardest to forget how many times they had sat here as lovers. She shook her leg.

"I am not sure how extensive the damage is. I've tried to remember, I can't even get a blur out of it, it's just like a woke up after a long rest. I went to sleep twenty and woke up twenty-three, if I hadn't seen that ring on your finger; I would have thought we were still together." She looked at him with a shrug, and felt nothing but malice as he looked down at the sparkling band.

"Ginny…"

"I don't want to hear it, Potter." She bit at him, he looked up at her. "Let's just get it over with." Harry looked up at Remus who nodded at him, turning back to Ginny, he sighed.

"You know the drill, keep eye contact. Try your hardest to remember anything."

"Fine," She said simply, trying to calm herself as he broke into her mind. She gave a long sigh and locked eyes with Harry.

She could feel him, prodding and poking into her head, she could feel him searching for something, but she could not remember anything. Suddenly she felt something, as she stared into his green eyes. It was night time at the Burrow, her twentieth birthday. She remembered it being the happiest day of her life, the day he had proposed.

"_Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you marry me?" His green eyes sparkled as he kneeled in front of her, a large smile on his face. She had felt her heart swell with happiness as she stared at him, his hair a complete mess as usual. He was wearing her favorite outfit, a dark grey shirt with his black pants. At that moment, she had never been so in love._

She shook that memory away suddenly, and broke eye contact with him, looking at the kitchen table. Ginevra felt her face grow hot as she thought about it, why of all things did that memory have to show up. She had tried to hide all those feelings for Harry Potter over the past few days, but no matter what they always crept up on her, she couldn't help but be in love with him even though he had moved on a long time ago. After a few moments and looked up at him, noticing how red he had become as well_. At least he still has some humility_, Ginny said in her head. She caught eyes with him again, trying hard to stay focused on letting him in her mind, yet she felt it; another memory.

"_Harry James Potter, you are the biggest ass I've ever met!" she had screamed at him, her quidditch robes wet and muddy as they stood in the cold dressing room. His face was red from the cold and embarrassment as she yelled at him; he had missed another one of her Quidditch matches. "And if you even think that I am going to forgive you this time, you are mistaken! I am tired of your broken promises, I can't stand this! If you don't want to be with me then why are you even…" but he had cut her off with one of his kisses, she could never resist them._

Ginny broke eye contact again and stood up, walking over to the counter, her back facing the two men in the room.

"Ginevra?" came the voice of Remus.

"Just give me a moment," She said, as she closed her eyes. She had to collect herself; she couldn't do this if she couldn't stay focused. The brown haired woman was thoroughly embarrassed; she hadn't wanted to let him see those memories. Those were the memories that kept her warm at night, in the past few days all she had to live on was old memories, because they weren't old to her. They were the life she had to let go, that she was trying with all her heart to let go but just couldn't.

"You have to stop using Occlumency, I can't get through." Harry's voice brought her out of her thoughts; she could hear the smallest of quivers.

"I'm not," She said simply, "That's all I remember."

"It's like hitting a brick wall; I can't get through if you keep your Occlumency up. You keep diverting me, I am looking and you keep showing me… things we know already happened. Just let me search, I know what I am looking for." She gave a lowly sigh and bit her lip.

"Fine," She said sounding like a child. She marched back over to the chair and sat in it; she crossed her arms and looked back at him again.

It went on for hours after that, he would bore into her, searching her mind for those three years to only find old memories of their time together. As they stared into each others eyes they relived their first anniversary, the first time they made love, fights, good days and bad. Harry searched her mind for the missing time, but it was as if it wasn't even there. To her mind, she had literally fallen asleep twenty and woken up twenty three. Her Occlumency was always up, letting out just enough information as to divert him from his task. He couldn't search for her years gone if all he could see was how happy they used to be together.

As the sun began to set on Number Twelve Gimmauld place, Ginny couldn't take it any more. Her mind was exhausted, having to relive those memories with Harry right in front of her. Knowing that his mind was now filled with another woman she knew nothing about. Ginny was glad she didn't know Leglimency, she didn't think she could take if she fell into Harry's mind, and finally see the face of his wife. She rubbed her face as Harry took a butter beer from the cup board, taking a large gulp.

The two were now alone in the kitchen of the old house. Remus having to go run a errand for McGonagall, leaving the two to sit in awkward silence. Ginny didn't know what to say to him, even if she did, she was afraid of what would come out. Their relationship having just been replayed in their minds was enough to make her feel angrier than ever. They had been happy, so happy, and now it was as if it never happened. Her chest had hurt so much during those relived moments, and her eyes had stung with tears. She couldn't stand having him so near and knowing that he belonged to another woman now. That he was no longer her Harry, that his heart and loyalty belonged to someone else.

"We need to continue," He said, as he stared at his butter beer bottle. "I know you are tired, but the more you let your guard down, the more I will be able to break through. I don't remember you being this strong in Occlumency."

"I don't remember you being married, but things seem to have changed." Ginny stopped suddenly and looked up at Harry. She hadn't meant to say that, it had just slipped out of her mouth. And even before she finished her sentence, she knew she was going to regret those words.

Harry gave a long sigh before putting down his butter beer. "Ginny…"

"Don't," she said simply, "I just, I don't think there is anything you could say that I want to hear." The woman rose from her chair and walked to the fire place; standing in front of the warm hearth. She felt the weight of the day on her as she stared into the flames. To have to look at him and remember how in love they used to be, how happy they once were, made her almost sick. It wasn't like that at all, not even close. His heart belonged to someone else, and her life was turned so upside down, she didn't know which way was up any more.

"You don't understand," He said seriously, placing his hands on the table. "You don't understand what it is like to lose the person you love the most…"

"I don't?" she asked, cutting him off. "That's funny, because I think I know exactly what it is like, now. I fell asleep to us being in love and woke up to you being married. MARRIED! For two years! So let me guess, you mourned for … a month before you jumped into someone's bed, or did you want to give your ex-fiancé a little more respect and took a full three?"

"Don't you dare say that to me," Harry growled at her, his breathing becoming heavy. "Don't you dare tell me how I mourned you. You were the one gone, you didn't have to face the fact that the person you loved most would never come back…"

"I don't know what that is like? I've lost not only the man I loved but my brothers. I will never see them again, and it's up to me now to make up for it. I've lost enough time… I am not wasting a moment on wondering why you don't love me any more." She told him, looking at him with fierce eyes. They locked eyes, her brown ones meeting his deep green, neither able to look away from the very scene they wanted to avoid. With their eyes locked, it happened. A flash and an image came to Ginny's mind.

_She walked down Knockturn Alley, high heels clicking on the cobblestone floor, tendrils of red hair falling in her eyes. She turned down an alley and found a stair way going down. When she reached the door she knocked once. _

"_Password?" came a voice._

"_No need, Ramiro, It's me." She said, lowering her hood as man came from behind the door. He was very tall, with a dark complexion and almost black eyes. He had a large crooked nose and curly black hair that fell over his face; he gave her a large smile and showed all of his misplaced teeth, as if they had magically been put back into his mouth._

"_Sorry Faye, it's been one of those nights." _

"'_s okay, he here?" she asked, as he took her robe and hung it up. He nodded at her._

"_Of course, you know where to find him." Ramiro nodded at her as she turned around and walked down a dark hall. When she reached the end of the hall, a door appeared before her with a sign reading: "Welcome to Serpent Sortia"_

Ginny suddenly found herself on the floor, her back hurting from the fall. She lay there panting as she looked at Harry with wide eyes. He was leaning against the table, catching his own breath. The two looked at each other with furrowed brows, each trying to figure out what they had just seen.

"What was that?" she asked, wiping the beads of sweat coming from her head.

"I guess the high emotion let me break through." He then gave her a confused look, "where was that?"

"I have no idea." She said to him, as she stood up.

"It was in Knockturn alley." Harry said, sitting on the table top. "That's means you had been in Britain, you had been around this whole time."

"I guess so," Ginny replied, brushing her bangs from her face. "I was in Britain, I was minutes from home; is it possible that no one in the Wizarding world saw me? That no one said anything to any one we know?"

"Of course, you know how secretive the Death Eaters are. Do anything for their kind."

"My kind," Ginny said more to herself than Harry; she missed the confused look he gave her. She took a seat at the table and thought about what she had seen.

It was her; she was walking down the streets of Knockturn alley. Why had she been there? The man at the club, Ramiro, he acted as if he knew her. As if they were old friends, like she belonged to a place like that. Ginny shook her head, it seemed wrong to think that she was apart of that kind of a world, a place that was so different from where she comes from. Who had she been looking for? She asked for someone, a man, at that place, was it the person who kept her captive? Ginny rethought that, she seemed to want to be there, by her own free will.

"What do you want to do?" she looked up as Harry brought her out of her thoughts. She gave a sigh.

"The only thing I can do," She said with a shrug as she stood up, "I am going to Serpent Sortia."

* * *

"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Asked Remus as he watched Ginny grab her robe from her closet. She placed the dark green material over her shoulders, clipping it at the neck.

"What choice do I have?" she replied, pulling down her black shirt. She gave herself a once over as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Had you asked her, she would have said she looked pretty good. She wore tight dark blue Muggle jeans with a black low cut top. Her feet were clad in black high heeled boots that came up to her calf. She realized how Muggle she looked and those in Knockturn Alley didn't appreciate those styling. Ginny ran a hand though her brown hair and sighed.

"Ginevra," Came Remus, coming behind her so she could see him in the mirror. "At least send someone with you, I don't think you want to go out there alone." He reasoned, his brow furrowed.

"No, in my vision, I went there alone, so I have to do so now."

"You do not even know how long ago that was. How do we know that it was not those very people that put you on the streets of Mexico? If you go back and they do not receive you, well the out come will not be good for you." He took her shoulders and turned her around to face him. When their eyes were locked he smiled. "I know what you are capable of, and I do not doubt that you can take care of yourself, but I want to be sure this is what you want. Are you sure you want to go back there? Are you ready to find out?" Ginny looked deep into his brown eyes, wondering why he would say something like that. Of course she was ready, more than ready in fact, she had to know. If this was a clue to what had happened to her, then she was more than willing to go to Knockturn alley to find out.

"Remus, I've really have nothing left here." She told him seriously, shrugging as he shook his head. "I have to find the reason why I cam back to a place where I am no longer wanted. Why would any one bring me back, as torture? This, where I am now, can't be any worse than where I was before. Being here just hurts. It hurts constantly. I can't deal with Harry or any one else with out knowing what happened to me."

"We do not even know what kind of place Serpent Sortia is," he told her, "We had Auror's go and take a look at the place today, and there wasn't even an entry way where Harry had said there was." She shrugged.

"What Harry saw and what I know are two different things." The woman said with out looking at him.

"What?" Remus asked, taking her arm, she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know exactly where it is, or what's down there, but for some reason, I know what when I get there, I will find it. It may be like a secret keeper thing. Only those who already know where it is can find it, like Gimmauld place."

"What are we to do if you find out what has happened to you?" He asked, as Ginny walked past him, opening the door. He followed her down the stairs and into the foyer of the house. She turned around and shrugged as she held the handle of the door.

"Depends on what I do tonight." She told him, as she took out her brand new wand.

"When did you have time to get that?" Remus asked, walking up to her, she pocketed it again.

"I special ordered it; I used Harry's account from Gringotts and had it owled here." Her friend raised his brow. "I was still on his account." She told him with a grin, "I guess not everything changed." With a smile, she pulled up her hood and walked out of the door.

* * *

Ginny held her hood over her face, making sure no one saw her as she slipped down the streets of a bustling Diagon Alley. She dodged people as she quickly made her way past familiar shops, trusting her feet to take her where she needed to be. As the woman made her way down the street, she noticed as she got closer and closer to Knockturn Alley the lights began to grow few and far between, and the people became fewer and fewer. She tightened her robe around her neck and body as she neared the sign, a large arrow pointing to her left reading: Knockturn Alley.

She looked at the sign for a moment, her brown eyes shifting down the darkened alley. Her sharp eyes scanned the road before her, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Though it has been three years and the last thing she knew about Knockturn alley was that it was dangerous, and laden with dark and evil witches and wizards. Whose main goals in life were to torture and hurt unsuspecting innocent girl, such as herself. However, things were much different now; and judging from her "memory" she had no problem in going down there alone in the dark. So, with her head held high, she entered the dark alley.

Her heels clicked loudly against the cobblestones streets as she made her way to Serpent Sortia. She honestly had no clue where she was going, she just felt like this could be right. The people were scarce, huddling close to each other in clusters in darkened corners. Ginny kept going straight a head until she reached what felt like the end of Kockturn Alley, she stopped in front of a large brick wall and sighed.

"Is this right?" she asked quietly. She sighed and placed her hand on her hip, biting her lip. She started to turn around when she saw it, a dark alley way that one wouldn't see unless they looked hard enough. She gave a look behind her in the other direction, and turned back. Yes, she thought to herself as she took a step down the alley, this is it.

She walked briskly all the way down the alley, watching as the torches lit as she passed them, giving the alley an ominous look. After minutes of walking she found herself at a dip, a set of stairs that lead to a large iron door at the end. Ginny tried to control her heart beat, as it was going a mile a minute as she made her way down the steps. She counted each step, knowing that at the end would be 15 steps. At the end of the stair way, she stood before the door and sighed.

"This is it," she said to herself. She threw her head back and held it high as she knocked twice on the iron door.

"Password?" said the voice that Ginny remembered form her memory.

"No need, Ramiro, it's me." The door flew open and the same large man stepped from behind it, his face set in a grim line.

"Faye," He said, his brow furrowed; she took down her hood and looked at him with hard eyes. He stood there for a moment, a frown on his face, when suddenly he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her so tight she thought he was going to crush her.

"Where the bloody 'ell you been? The place been in uproar since you've been gone!" he said with a laugh as he put her back to the ground. She smiled awkwardly as he stepped away from her, a blush creeping on his face. "I 'ope the boss didn't see that, 'e'd 'ave my ass."

"I'm sure he won't mind," Ginny said, not knowing how to respond to that, not knowing who the boss was. He shook his had.

"Nah, you know 'ow 'e gets, all bloody jittery, yellin' at everyone. Well, 'e been like that since you left. Said you 'ad things to take care of. Well, don't matter now; you're back, so maybe 'e won't be such a wanker. Come in come in, catch yourself a cold there, girl." He ushered her into the darkened room, the same one she recognized. He took her coat and hung it on the hanger. She stood there and looked at him, wondering what she should ask him.

"How has he taken me being gone, honestly?" She said tentatively, trying to act as flippant as possible, Ramiro sighed and shook his head.

"Dunno if it's my place to tell you 'ow 'es been." He said, "After that row you 'ad, 'e's been angrier than ever. Changed our times, worked us 'arder than ever, and yellin all the time at poor Minnie." Ginny furrowed her brow.

"Minnie?"

"Yea, 'e don't go any where without 'er. I guess 'e needed someone to take care of 'im since you went off. Oh well, you're back, and you two will go back to being 'appy, I can't stand 'im normally." Ginny smiled as she looked down the hall to the other door, the sign Serpent Sortia glittering back at her. He nudged her toward the door. "Go on, you know 'e's waiting for you, always is." Ginny looked back at him with a furrowed brow, wondering if she was really ready to know what was happening behind that door.

"Did he tell you anything," Ginny tried as she made her way towards the door. "About our row?"

"Nah, just that you were bein' stubborn again." He smiled at her, showing all his crooked teeth. She nodded and turned back to the door, holding her head high as she tentatively walked towards it. When she reached the handle her heart raced, this would be it. She didn't know what she would find behind the door, but she had to be ready for it. Her other hand rested on her wand in her robe pocket as she let out a large breath, opening the door to Serpent Sortia.

The first thing that hit Ginevra's senses was the heat. It was incredibly hot inside the dark room; it felt sticky and wet, the air was thick and humid. The next thing was the loud music blaring from all over the room, the hard beat rocking her to her very core. It was almost intoxicating, making her want to sway to its rhythm. The final sense to be hit was her sight, because before her was the largest club she had ever seen. The floor before her was filled with witches and wizards, their bodies grinding to the music from all over, causing the heat. She watched as they lost themselves out there, their eyes closed and their faces full of lust.

Her brown eyes scanned the entire room taking in the place itself. It was entirely black, except for the enchanted ceiling that flashed different colors that went along with the beat, mist slowly falling on its patrons. There was a large black window in front of her, reflecting the people below in shadows. To her left was a large bar with a few people hanging around it, partaking in the lavish drinks that were being prepared by the bar tender. She bit her lip watching as the young man mixed liquors with extreme quickness. With a flick of his wand different bottles from behind him would come and fill the glass he was preparing, or a lemon would cut itself as he dealt with the sweaty dancers. He looked up and caught sight of her, his hand stopping mid pour. Their eyes met and for a moment he did nothing but give her a questioning look before turning back to woman in front of him.

"_Must be the boss,_" Ginny said to herself, by the way he kept looking at her, it was if they knew each other very well. From her distance, Ginny gave him an appraisal. He was good looking, about 28 if she wasn't mistaken. He had sandy brown hair and a tall frame, reaching about 6 feet. He was pale, with a bit of a goatee at the end of his chin. He was wearing a black shirt and jeans, a white apron around his waist as he pocketed tips. She threw her hair back, making sure she looked confident and made her way over to him, trying to avoid the sweaty dancers. When she found an empty seat in front of the bar she took it, making sure to catch his eye.

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked, as he flicked his wand, sending a bottle back to the shelf. "If I am not mistaken, our little Faye has come back?"

"You know me," She said with a smile, "Don't you?"

"Yes, yes I do," He said, grinning broadly at her "Couldn't stay away for long. Well, looks like Rose won the bet."

"What bet?" Ginny asked, hoping that he couldn't hear her heart beat.

"When you would come back," He laughed. "We knew you wouldn't stay away longer than a few months. Well, thank Merlin you are back." He leaned closer to her, his arms resting on the bar.

"Missed me?" she asked flirtatiously, a grin across her face. The look on the bar tender's face looked pleased, but at the same time a little frightened, his eyes dodging from her to the window to their right.

"How could I not?" he replied, standing up straight, his back stiffening. "Trust me, it's good you are back, boss has been a right foul mood." Ginny furrowed her brow a bit, so he wasn't the boss.

"Yea, Ramiro told me he's been a git." She said, trying to sound as cool as possible, her mind going a mile a minute.

"Git is just starting. You been to see him yet?" he asked, taking some galleons from a man behind Ginny and flicking his wand.

"No, not yet." She said, trying to avoid his eyes. She really didn't know what to say to this, she hadn't seen the boss because she didn't know who the boss was. Whoever he was, he apparently missed her. This brought many questions to the woman's mind. Had he kidnapped her? Did he treat her as his …partner… even though he forced her home every night? She clenched her wand in her hand tighter; if she ever met this… boss… she was going to give him the curse of his life.

"Uh oh," Came the bartender, taking Ginny out of her thoughts. She looked up at him as he stared above her; she looked to where he was looking as a paper air plane floated gently down to him. He looked at Ginny and then back at the note, plucking it out of the sky. Ginny watched as he tentatively opened the parchment, his eyes scanning its words. He looked up a Ginny after a few moments.

"He's waiting for you." The man told her simply, crumpling the parchment and throwing it into a waste basket. She furrowed her brow.

"Who?" the bar tender gestured his head to her right, indicating the large black glass. "Oh." Was her only response as she looked back at him. She gave a shrug, "Guess I can't hide form him forever." She laughed a bit as she stood up; feeling her heart beat faster than it had all night.

"By the way, Faye." Said the bartender, she turned back to face him. "I like the brown, very earthy." He grinned at her as he helped a group of drunken wizards demanding some fire whiskey. Ginny turned away from him and began making her way towards the black glass.

She looked around it for a few moments, trying to find an opening. She looked into the black glass, hoping that she could see who she was facing before she entered whatever was back there. Ginny had already received a few surprises for the night.

First, Serpent Sortia was nothing more than a night club, obvious for pure blood witches and Wizards; she just had a feeling about that. Not only that but the workers here seemed to like her, even respect her. They held no ill will toward her, or seemed to realize that she was not this "Faye" person.

Ginny stepped right up to the glass, pressing a hand to its black exterior. There was a soft click, which surprised her since all she could hear was the blaring music form the club and the chatter of people coming from all sides. She looked to her left to see a soft crease in the wall. She walked up to it, pushing it open. Inside was a long hall way, the walls red, a few torches lighting its path. She pushed closed the door and walked in further, her hand tightly around her wand.

Ginny held her breath as she reached the only door in the corridor, it slightly ajar as if some one was expecting her. Her heart raced as she grabbed the handle, her chest going so tight, and her stomach feeling queasy. Could she handle this, did she want to know who had held her captive and took away those three years from her life? There was fear and disdain flowing through her body as she held on to the handle. She had been holding onto it for a few moments before a sharp voice hit her ears.

"Coming in or not?" it asked a drawl on every word. She tried to control her breathing, getting ready to close her mind incase he knew Legilimency. If she was going to gain control of her life, she had to first gain control of herself. Ginevra held her high as she opened the door.

The first thing she saw was a large room. A desk sat to her left side, and a large leather black couch on her right, a roaring fire, that seemed to give no heat, going on inside a large fire place. The place was decorated the same red color as the corridor outside. All the furniture black or a dark cherry wood; everything more valuable than the item before. Files and files lined the wall behind the desk, along with books mixed with in them; and in the corner stood a man with his back to her.

"Shut the door," He commanded, not looking at her. She did as she was told and closed the door, standing firmly in front of it. She looked at the back of his head and her hatred for him ran through her body. He was tall, 6'2, with a slim frame. He wore black slacks and a white button up, not a wrinkle could be seen on them. His hands where behind his back, locked together as if trying to act flippant. Yet, the thing that stuck out most of all to Ginevra was his white blonde hair.


	5. Him

a/n: Another short one. I'm trying to get the ninth chapter out, but I have NO ONE to bounce ideas off of… if you want to help ME get MORE of THIS STORY OUT, then email please!!!!!

Um… Things are getting good. Man oh man. Reached 1600 viewings… thanks kids! And again to my 21 faithful, thanks a lot! I loves you!!!

* * *

Draco Malfoy turned around to face her, lips set in a thin line. His face was pale, yet sharp and defined; he had a long thin nose, which was a bit too pointy. Malfoy had high cheek bones and a sharp chin, which he held high in the air. His hair was just as it had always been, to his neck, yet held no gel that she remembered him using in school. Yet what Ginny noticed most of all were his eyes, deep set and a brilliant grey that made her blood boil with anger, but also made her blush.

Ginny watched as his sharp eyes scanned her body, as if appraising her. With a quirk of his brow he turned back around, watching the patrons of the club dance to the heavy beat of the music. There was silence for a long time as Ginny stood there, her back against the door, not sure if her voice would come out.

Draco Malfoy, it had been him. He had kidnapped her that day in the Graveyard. Yes, it all made sense now. He and Bellatrix had come up with this plan to take her and turn her into their slave. Her mind raced with the things they could have done to her, the secrets they could have taken from her. No, she thought as she watched him, his even breathing, she wouldn't have cracked. She was much too strong for that, but her Occlumency, it was so much stronger than she had ever remembered. It must have gotten a lot of use while under their control, she wouldn't let her mind be tampered with, so she must have practiced to protect herself against these Death Eaters.

Her breathing became heavy as he turned around to face her. His face impassive, he walked towards her, coming only an arms length away. Ginny didn't make eye contact with him because her mind was racing with so many curses to throw at him, and so many ideas to take him down to the Aurors. Or, she could just take care of him now, take what she needed and oblivate him. Or worse…

"How was your little trip?" he had a sharp voice, almost biting, and yet cool and calm.

"Fine," Ginny said, keeping her face even as she looked at this… this… Death Eater. He smirked.

"Did I give you enough time?" Malfoy questioned, his arms crossing his chest. He had let her go? He let her go see her family, to be free? Then why did she end up in Mexico, a million different things ran through her head as he stared at her. "What the hell have you done to your hair, Faye?" The brown eyed woman looked up at him, her brows furrowed. He called her Faye, which means he played along with this charade as well; even though they both knew that they had grown up together. It made sense but it didn't, when did she forget everything?

"What don't like it?" she asked, raising a brow of her own, he sighed.

"You know I have always been partial to your red hair." Then he did something that scared the magic out of Ginny, he smiled slightly and raised a hand to grab a tendril. "I suppose I can get used to this… if that means you've come back." He let his hand fall, and Ginny immediately stepped away from him, just out of his reach.

"I…I haven't come back." She said, waiting for his expression, but in true Malfoy fashion, he showed none, only a raised brow.

"Oh, then what are you doing here?"

"I meant, I haven't completely come back. There are still some things I need to figure out."

"I thought that was why you left." He replied going to his desk, sitting behind it. She stayed rooted in the spot.

If she went along with this charade, pretended to be Faye, she could find out everything. She would have unlimited access to what he had been up to. It would mean more than just finding out what happened to her, but bringing in a dangerous and wanted Death Eater. Not only that, but if she stayed by his side long enough, she would face Bellatrix, and truly get her revenge. If she brought him in now, she would never find out all she needed to be whole again. So Ginevra stood in Draco Malfoy's office, wondering if she was willing to be whatever he wanted her to be.

"It is…"

"My offer is still as confusing to you as it was five months ago?" he asked, resting his head on his hand. She shifted her weight from her left to her right, giving a long sigh.

"I haven't decided anything," well that much was true, "but I think I will better be able to find out what I want if I stay here. Go back to what it used to be." She watched as he stared lazily at her, and her chest went tight. If that wasn't the right answer, then she could be in real trouble, but she went with whatever came to her mind. If she was no more than a slave to him, a piece of property that he stole from her family and Harry, then she would make sure to make things much more difficult that he remembered.

"I don't like it," He said, getting up quickly. She stood her ground as he came to her, reaching her in less than three strides. He came much closer this time, their bodies almost touching, making Ginny want to step away in revulsion; yet she stood her ground as he searched her face. "Fine," He said, his eyes turning soft suddenly, frightening Ginny more than it should. Yet as quickly it came, it was gone, and he stepped away from her. "Are you coming home with me tonight, then?" he questioned, as he walked past her to grab his robe.

"No," she answered quickly. He looked at her and nodded.

"I want to see you tomorrow, ten. Do not keep me waiting any longer." He said simply, holding the door open for her. Ginny took her cue and walked out making her way down the red corridor once more. She waited for him to tap his wand against the wall, as the opening appeared once again. The two walked into the club, past the bar and all its patrons, the bar tender giving them a curious look. He opened the door, where Ramiro could be seen sitting behind the iron door.

"Sir, 'ow are you sir, lookin' well."

"Ramiro, coat." He demanded, and Ginny was almost in awe as the larger man almost fell out of his seat getting Ginny's coat. Malfoy snatched it out of his large hands, and held it open for her. Ginny put her arms through the sleeves and turned around, as he clipped it at the neck for her. He had made sure she was secure before sighing.

"If I ever catch Nigel looking at you like that again, there will be consequences." He told her, and then dissaprated before she could say anything. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the spot where he had just disappeared from.

"Oh, you two back to ya old ways!" cried Ramiro, with a smile.

* * *

"I am glad you all could make it today," Started Remus, standing in the living room of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. There was silence as he stood there, his hands firmly behind his back, looking at all the members of the Weasley family, and a few members of the Order of the Phoenix. His brown eyes scanned the room, making a mental note of who was here, and how he should go about his meeting. Ginny sat in the corner of the room, a cold cup of tea in her hands. She looked up to meet Remus, and he gave her a reassuring smile as he cleared his throat to talk to the others in the room.

Ginny wasn't paying attention to what he said, she had heard it already. They were all here to be informed of the new information of what had happened a few nights before at Serpent Sortia. She and Remus had fought for a long time as to whether or not the members of her family should be informed of the happenings in her life. She didn't want them to know, she didn't want them to look at her as if she were insane. She had been with Draco Malfoy, as more than a prisoner, as more than anything she had ever in her life imagined. She hadn't been to see him, but the owl she received from him earlier that day was a demand to see her tonight. She took a long sip of tea as Remus kept talking.

She looked around the room at the people who had come to hear about her new. Her mother and father, George, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Head Mistress McGonagall, and in the middle of the room sat the trio: Hermione, Harry and Ron. She had felt nothing but hatred as the three came in, Hermione and Ron standing on either sides of Harry, as if to protect him. Her brother and sister-in-law hadn't even bothered to say hi to her as they passed her, only sat with him, as if he was the one who needed comforting. The brown eyed woman just stared at them, each of them listening intently to what Remus was saying; she could see Ron's face go an ugly shade of red and his eyes swiveled to her.

"Malfoy!" he screeched, as he stood up. He stalked loudly to her and loomed over her, staring intently. "You've been with Malfoy! As what?!" he demanded, his breathing heavy. She looked past him and into the faces of the others in the room.

Her other brothers just kept looking to each other, wondering how this could of all happened, how they were going to go and "Take care" of the filthy human. Her mother was hysterical, crying into her husbands shoulder as her father merely tried to calm her. Minevera was talking intently to Remus about all the information she had on Malfoy since he was last seen on Hogwarts grounds. Yet what bothered Ginny the most was the way Harry looked hurt, Hermione had her hands on his shoulders, talking to him calmly. When he looked up, he looked at Ginny, their eyes catching. She could feel him using his Legilimency on her, trying to see if what Remus had said was true, but she turned him out, and looked at Ron with a sigh.

"Good to see you too, Ronald," she answered, finishing off her tea.

"Don't give me that!" he howled, stomping his foot like a child. "You've been with Malfoy all this time, and you didn't say anything!"

"Well, I would have written," she said to him, placing her cup on the end table next to her, "but I am sure you were too busy taking care of Harry for you to wonder about your only sister."

"Ginny, you know that's not true. Now I want to know everything about you and Malfoy, why were you with him, you two were together? What the bloody hell were you thinking!"

"I can't really say," she started, looking at her nails. "Since I don't even remember EVER being with him!" Ginny stood up suddenly, causing Ron to stumble back from her. "I find it funny how you only talk to your sister, who is back from the dead, to yell at her about activities that I obviously had no control over whatsoever! If I was with Malfoy, it wasn't by choice, since he hasn't killed me yet, it's a good thing that I go back to see exactly what has been done to me."

"You are going back?" he cried, his eyes growing wider. "Why would you go back to that ferret?"

"I have to find out, Ron," she said to him, looking at him with confusion, "It was I who lost three years of my life and to Malfoy and his Death Eaters no less." She gave a loud sigh as he shook his head.

"I can't believe you are doing this to us," Ginny's breath caught in her throat.

"I'm not doing this to you," she looked into his blue eyes, seeing the anger in them. The woman cleared her throat, almost too afraid to ask, "Don't you care at all that I am back, even for a moment?" Ginny felt her chest go tight as silence followed her question. It stretched on for a moment, before Ron sighed.

"Malfoy." He said simply.

"You wouldn't have cared if it were some one else, but since its Malfoy you feel it necessary to yell at me as if I CHOSE to be with a Death Eater."

"Of course I cared that you came back, Ginny." He said, his face getting back some of his normal color, "But…"

"But you had other obligations," she shook her head, "I am glad you took some time out of your busy schedule to see me at a mandatory family meeting. If it weren't for _him_ coming, then you most likely wouldn't have come to see me at all. So thanks for the moments of your time, but go back to best friend, because your sister obviously doesn't need you." She brushed past him and walked next to Remus, standing before her family.

"Ginny is this true…"

"How could this be…"

"Why were you with him…"

The family bombarded her with questions, questions she had no answers to. She didn't know why she ended up with Malfoy, and she didn't know why she had some sort of romantic connection with the Death Eater. Before the war, she had assumed he died, or ran off to some foreign country to hide from the Order. Ginny held up her hand, and silence ensued.

"I don't know anything," Ginny told them simply, avoiding catching eyes with her disappointed family. "Yes, it did seem that we… that… He and Faye had a relationship. I don't know why and with my memory being gone it's obvious that I did not want to remember. Now, had I come back to the world I knew, the world I loved…" she looked at Harry, his face impassive, "Then we would turn him in, now and at this moment."

"Then what are we waiting for?" came Bill, standing up. "Why aren't we going out there to take care of the man that kidnapped you!"

"Because I don't know if that is entirely true," She said honestly, looking at him with soft brown eyes.

"What?" questioned her mother, her voice shaky, and handkerchief in her hand. "Of… of course he did! You would never have wanted to be there, that is why you are back."

"I don't know why I am back. He asked if he gave me enough time, which led me to believe that he let me go, he let me get away from whatever it was that was happening.

If we turn him in now, I will never know fully what has happened to me. You all know the Malfoy's first hand, die with their secrets. If I go back," there was uproar of voices, and she silenced them once more, "be whoever he wants me to be, and then I will know. There won't be a thing he won't tell me, as a… lover… girlfriend, slave, whatever I am, he cares for me. At least that is the impression I got. If I go back to him, play the role, then I can bring him and whoever works for him from the inside."

"I don't like this," interjected Hermione, "it all seems too easy, it's too easy that he would just take you back, it's not typical of Malfoy."

"Well, it's not typical of most people to ignore a person who is back from the dead, but it seems as if we all changed." Ginny raised a brow at her. Hermione simply looked down at her hands, staring at her wedding band. "I am just as floored as all of you, even more so since I don't remember ever being near Malfoy, ever having any connections with him since school. What upsets me most is that you all act as if I wanted this, as if I walked away from this family and into his arms. I was the one all of this was done too; I am the one who was dead. Well, I am back, and I am going to do whatever I can to find out what has happened to me." Ginny's shook her head and sighed. "It maybe stupid, and this may be the biggest mistake of my life, but he took away everything from me. Everything I once held dear is gone and it's my turn to take it back. I can't move on if I don't know." Her family just looked at each other, each taking in what their favorite girl had just said.

"Ginevra and I have talked about this; we both think it would be the best option for her to go back. There is also the question of Bellatrix Lestrange." An eerie silence fell over the room, that name was rarely mentioned now. "If she is with Malfoy, if he is keeping her hidden, and if Ginevra can prove that she is alive, we can bring them both down. It is beneficial for all of us if she goes back. So much more can be found out, the location of the rest of the Death Eaters, those who were thought to be dead."

"We will obvious have to take extreme measures for her security." reasoned McGonagall, her lips in a thin line, "We can involve other members in this, we need someone in Serpent Sortia covering Ginevra, she needs to be protected."

"We will go in," came Charlie, looking to his brothers, "we can go with her when she goes in, make sure she is taken care of and leaves safely."

"That's not a good idea," Ginny said to him, "Malfoy gets extremely jealous, just talking to his bar tender sent him insane. He doesn't like the idea of me being with any one else, even in friendship; he is very possessive of me. So with that said, I go alone, there is no need for coverage, I have a wand." The family looked at each other questioningly, wondering if this all sounded good.

"Gin, a possessive Malfoy is never a good one." reasoned Molly, her hand clenching her husbands. "The very idea of you alone with him makes me so worried."

"I've been a lone with him for three years mother, another few days won't matter." She said simply, not bothering to hide the truth from the family. "Listen, there is no use in arguing, I am going to do what I want. I am going to play this charade, if he wants me to be Faye, then that's what I am going to be. I need to do this for myself, what I do with Malfoy has nothing to do with the rest of you. This meeting was merely a courtesy, now I have to get ready. Malfoy is expecting me at ten sharp." She raised a brow as she looked at her family, each looking more stunned than the rest. Their faces showed nothing but shock, for their Ginevra never talked to them like this. Ginny turned on her heel and went up the stairs, and into her room.

As she closed the door she went and fell onto her bed, not even bothering to really get ready for whatever it was she was going to do with Malfoy. She looked up into the ceiling and sighed to herself. They just did not understand. Ginny couldn't help but feel bitter towards the tight collective downstairs. They all had each other to lean on for support, they all had someone who was listening to them; who did Ginny have? She had Malfoy, and a disgruntled Remus, who was already looking sick for this month's full moon.

* * *

After Ginny had finished getting dressed she stepped out into the hallway, listening for voices. She didn't want to see her family any longer than she had to, and today had been enough of them for quite a while. She closed her door and walked down the hall way and to the stairs, making sure she wouldn't fall in her heels. She looked at the note clenched her in hand, rereading Malfoy's instructions for tonight.

"_Ten P.M."_

Ginny just furrowed her brow, she had no idea where to be, and Malfoy was obviously not into giving details. She sighed, pocketing the note and walking into the kitchen. She went directly to the cupboard and took out a bottle of Butterbeer. She twisted off the cap and took a large drink, loving its sweet taste on her lips. She threw the cap onto the kitchen table and sat down, running a hand through her brown hair.

"I don't know if I like the brown," Ginny screamed, dropping the butterbeer as she leapt from the table, taking out her wand. She pointed it at the person sitting on the counter.

"Harry," she breathed, lowering her wand, "Merlin, you scared me. I thought everyone had gone." She told him, he nodded at her looking down at his own bottle of butterbeer.

"Sorry."

"Merlin, look at my trousers," Ginny grumbled as she looked at her black pants, seeing the large wet stain on her thighs. She went over to the counter grabbing a towel and patting it dry. She sighed as she looked at it, knowing she was going to be sticky later.

"Scourgify," Harry muttered, as the stain disappeared. She looked up at him and nodded.

"Thank you," she told him, closing her robe so he wouldn't see what she was wearing. It was nothing more than a pair of black trousers and a red v-neck sweater, but she didn't like the idea of Harry seeing her "date" attire. Ginny turned her back on him and picked up the bottle that was under the table, placing it with a few other bottles she kept for throwing out later. She turned back around to see Harry staring at her.

"Do you care for him?" Ginny looked at Harry, his eyes boring into hers.

"What?" she asked, confused by the question.

"Do you care for him?"

"For whom?" she asked, making sure this wasn't some trick question.

"Malfoy," Harry replied simply.

"Of course I don't," she told him, her eyes narrowing. "Why would I care for a man who kidnapped me and convinced me to… be with him?"

"Then why are you going tonight?" he asked, jumping off the counter and coming to stand next to her. She backed up a few paces and stared at him.

"I am going tonight to get some answers. Why do you all act as if I am in love with him?" She shook her head and began making her way towards the door, it was getting late and she didn't want to keep him waiting.

"Are you?" Ginny whipped around, looking at Harry, standing with his hands clenched at his sides, his shoulders sagged a bit.

"Am I?" she asked, stepping towards him, her chest going tight. "Of course not, how dare you ask me such a sodding question." His eyes didn't change as he looked at her, searching for answers for himself.

"It's okay if you are," he told her simply, "I won't be angry if you are in love with Malfoy."

"You wanker," she whispered, her eyes stinging, "You sad, sad wanker. How dare you tell me it's alright to be in love with someone like Malfoy? What will it do Harry, make you feel better about getting married? Are you the bigger man by not being mad at me, trying to make me feel bad about hating you for loving someone else?" She breathed in and out heavily, going closer to him. "Well guess what, it's not going to happen. I am in no way in love with Malfoy. I am not going to let you off the hook; you are the one who is married. You are the one who turned your back on this relationship." She let out a breath and closed her eyes, shaking her head as Harry just stared at her.

"I didn't give up," He told her sternly. "I never gave up on you."

"You gave up the day you said _I do_" she growled; she waited for him to respond, but he didn't. He just stood there looking at her, as if he couldn't make up his mind to strangle her, or something else. "You want to hear something stupid?" Ginny asked him, their eyes locking.

"What?" he said, almost in a whisper, she shrugged.

"That had it been me, had you been the one to die that day, I would have waited," Ginny saw his jaw clench. "I would have waited forever for you, Harry. In this life, in this magical world that we live in, nothing is set in stone. We've seen it first hand, way before I ever came back from the dead. I would have waited forever for you."

"I wouldn't have wanted you to," he told her, almost desperately, "I would never have wanted you to waste your life waiting for something that may never happen."

"So waiting for me would have been waste?" she asked, trying to fight back her tears.

"No," Harry said hurriedly, "that's not what I meant..."

"Then what Harry?"

"I mean, you have so much to give, always have had so much to offer the world. I was never blind to those who were enchanted by you, Ginny. I would have wanted you to move on because I loved you. Waiting around for someone is never good."

"I've waited for you before, Harry Potter." She returned, and he shut his mouth immediately.

"It was different, you were young. Ginny, I would have loved you enough to understand that you had to let me go."

"All of that love is a waste," She told him, her lips trembling. "In the end, all the love that I ever had for you was a waste, because in true Harry Potter fashion, you didn't wait for me. How can I stand here and love someone who thought it would be a waste of their life to wait for me, to love me even."

"Ginny," Harry said, letting out a breath. "I…"

"I love you." she told him, finally letting her tears fall. "I don't care what you say, I fell asleep to us being so in love, I can't help but still feel like that. So before you tell me again that I don't know what its like to lose the person you love the most, remember that I fell asleep and woke up to being in love with you, and my brothers. I didn't get time to mourn, I have to wake up loving all of you. It feels like just yesterday I had Percy and Fred at my side, and I had your love, and now..." Ginny quickly wiped away the tears and let out a breath.

She shook her head at him and turned away, just wanting to be so far that she didn't have to see his beautiful green eyes staring at her like she wanted him too. She began to walk away, but a hand grabbed her. Harry came behind her and pressed his body to her back, holding her so close she could feel his heart beat. Ginny felt sick, she wanted to push him away, to tell him to go home to his wife and leave her alone in her misery. Yet she couldn't fight him, this is what she wanted, she wanted Harry.

"Don't walk away from me," He breathed her ear, placing his other hand on her other arm, and squeezing them. "I couldn't stand if I lost you again. Ginny, when you died, I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt my world collapse around me when I held your body in my arms, because you were my world." He turned her around, holding onto her firmly. "I used to… I used to talk to you." He smiled sadly, "Just talk to you, and ask you if I should eat, lavender or white tea, if I should even get out of bed. Then one day, you answered. I had turned into Harry Potter, the boy who talked to his dead fiancé. I missed you so much, it almost killed me; more than Voldemort or any Death Eater ever could." He brought her closer, raising a hand to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face. They stared at each other for a long time, just searching each others eyes for the love they both knew was there.

"I…"

"When you came home," He started again, cutting her off, "It was a shock and relief. You were back, but things had changed." She looked down, not wanting to hear those dreaded words again. "I don't regret moving on, Ginny. Everything you had said to me, everything everyone had said to me since you been back, I had thought it over and over in my head already. But when you died, had I even thought that one day you would come back to me…"

"I would have come home to you still being in love with me." She said simply, finishing off his sentence. She smiled sadly to herself, looking at the hand that was now holding hers, seeing the gold sparkle back at her. She looked at him, and then at the clock, watching as it struck nine forty-five. "I've got to go." Ginny turned around and began walking out of the door.

"Ginny…"

"No Harry," She said, blinking back the rest of her tears. "I did come home, and nothing you can say can change the fact that you go home to someone else." His shoulders visibly fell as she shrugged, and walked out of the kitchen, and out of Grimmauld place.


	6. Date

A/n: trying to write as much as I can, so posts are going to take a little longer! Consider this a Happy Halloween Treat!

Be safe, and Dumbledore being gay... well… makes sense! Nothing but love for AWPBD

Thank you, my loyal readers!!

* * *

Ginny walked into the red hallway that led to Malfoy's office. She sighed as she pushed back her brown hair, wondering when she was going to have a moment's peace to change it. She rubbed her arms with her hands, not realizing how cold it was in the hallway. The young woman barely had enough time to register that it was November and the cold was in full blast all over Britain; though Ginny's thoughts hadn't been on the country's weather, but on more pressing matters. 

Harry had thrown her a curve ball today and she didn't know what to do. All this claims of loving her enough to let her go was all bullocks in her mind. She didn't care if he had gone crazy because he obviously had gotten over her and fast. He hadn't even mourned her a year. Had he ever loved her? Ginny was too afraid to answer that question, because either answers lead to more and more heartache that she was trying so hard to suppress. She couldn't take the idea of it all, of her family, of her life that it was now. Her heels clicked loudly as she kept on walking, not really even bothering to notice that Malfoy was not in his office as she entered.

When she had been in here last, she didn't really get any time to look around. The rich decor and furniture still stood, but the things on Malfoy's desk are what interested her most. She sat behind the desk, feeling the rich wood under her fingers. The chair was large and black, making it so she sat up straight. She looked around on the things on the desk: a letter opener, a crystal set for brandy, and some papers neatly stacked. She looked at them, reading only the top page as to not disturb the order. She sighed as she merely read orders for more alcohol for the club and a payment of a bill. On her left, Ginny opened the drawer to find only more papers. The woman rifled through them, finding nothing but more parchment and a few quills. She picked up the entire stack from the bottom and looked underneath.

Ginny's hand shook as she took out the photo lying face down at the bottom. Closing the drawer as she placed it on the desk, taking a good look at it. It was of Malfoy and herself, standing in this very office. Her hair was long and its natural red color, the bangs she had now not present. She was thin and her robes were a deep blue, as Malfoy stood next to her, his black robes pristine as ever. In the picture, she and Malfoy had been standing very close, whispering to each other when the photo was shot, she turned and smiled as his face stayed impassive. Yet as it returned to the before pose, she saw how close they were, how they looked at each other and the way Malfoy smiled at her made her almost sick. They looked… they seemed to be… in love.

"I knew I should have locked my desk," Ginny looked up at Malfoy, who was leaning against the frame of the door. "Found something of interest?"

"Just a photo," She said calmly, picking up the picture and looking at it.

"Rose," he said simply, shrugging. "She insisted I have it when you went on your little vacation."

"I'm glad it meant so much to you, leaving it under all your papers," Ginny replied, placing it back to where she found it. She looked back at him as he stared at her, his eyes impassive.

"I'm glad I meant so much to you for you to leave," An awkward silence ensued.

Ginny simply got out of the chair and stood in front of the desk, making sure not to get too close to him. He just stared, his silver eyes apprising her as if she was some property. He walked into the office and closed the door behind him, making sure it locked. The woman didn't say anything, only looked out into the crowd of people that danced out side. As he came close, she walked over to the glass and stared out into the large room. Malfoy came behind her, pressing his chest to her back, just like Harry had earlier that night; but when Harry did it… it was welcomed. Standing this close to Malfoy made her feel sick, knowing a Death Eater and a kidnapper stood behind her, cared for her even.

"Nice of you to actually show up tonight," He said to her, she merely nodded in response. "Why didn't you meet me at the manor?" Ginny didn't know how to respond to that, because she had no idea where the manor was, she thought quickly, trying to find some excuse, and then a reason to go back there. She needed to snoop, possibly find information or evidence of her ever being held captive there.

"I didn't know if I was still welcome after my little vacation, as you call it," She said simply, she heard him let out a breath of amusement.

"Though I have led you to believe that, Minnie can't live another moment with out you," Ginny looked back at him, his face impassive. "She is more impossible than ever."

"Poor thing, and knowing you, you most likely treat her like crap." Ginny waited for his reaction, and was almost too relieved when he chortled.

"Dare I change?"

"Never," She gave a sigh, "so, are we going back to the manor?"

"No," he said simply.

"Why not?"

"I think I have a better idea," He extended his arm to her, and she looked down at it, wondering if she should take his arm, place her future in the arms of the man who kidnapped her. Would her take her some where she didn't want to go? Now that she was back with him would he put her back in the cell that he most likely kept her? If he tried, she had a wand and could do more than take care of herself. The woman looked into his eyes, seeing the harshness in them. They were cold, hard, and demanding, what Ginny thought she had seen that first day she had come back must have been nothing more than a momentary lapse of judgment. Malfoy did not care for her, she was his possession, everyone knew how much a Malfoy hated to lose.

"Lead the way," She replied, tentatively placing her arm in the crook of his. He raised a brow and smirked, leading her out of the office.

* * *

"Mr. Malfoy, Oh, Ms. Cunningham!" came an old man, as he bowed low before them. He looked up at them, his bald head shining back at her. Ginny smiled as best she could, trying not to look too confused, because she had never seen him before in her life. "I haven't seen you two lately, not giving someone else your business, are you?" 

"Ian, table," Malfoy said without even looking at him. Ginny was a bit amused as he turned around, yelling at all the waiters in the restaurant to stop what they were doing and get Mr. Malfoy his table.

While they waited, Ginny looked around the small restaurant Malfoy had decided to take her to. It was a beautiful place, crystal chandeliers hanging from ceilings, the crystal giving the place a romantic glow. The walls were brown with many paintings of food and former famous clients of the restaurant all around. The table cloths were red, roses sitting as the center pieces on each of them. It was very posh; Ginny would figure it would be if Malfoy chose it. There weren't too many tables, about ten, and each and every one of them filled with very rich looking witches and wizards. She watched as the workers rearranged the set up of the restaurant with a flick of their wands, making the other patrons move with out their consent. She looked over at Malfoy who watched them with boredom, his head held high as he looked lazily over the place.

"If you please, your table is ready, Mr. Malfoy." Came Ian again, his face red from all the hustle. Walking as fast as his little legs could take him, he led them to a table in the middle of the restaurant, and it was larger than all the others, with a crystal center piece in stead of the roses. It already had three waiters standing behind it, waiting for their orders. Ginny was surprised as Malfoy took out her seat for her, she took it carefully and smiled at Ian who turned bright red.

"Ian," snapped Malfoy, looking at him with a raised brow. He stood straight, his back to Ginny as if not to notice her presences. "Two bottles of the finest Elf made wine." Ian nodded his head hurriedly, "Now," And with that the little man turned around and fled out of sight.

"That was a bit much, wasn't it?" Ginny asked, looking at him with a raised brow, he smirked.

"I didn't know you became so fond of Ian, smiling at him now are you?"

"It's called being polite," She quipped,

"Just like you were being polite to Nigel, am I right?" Ginny jut looked at him, letting out a breath. He raised his brow, much superior to hers and smirked. Merlin how she wanted to swipe that look off his face. "Now, this is our first time out, let us pretend to be polite." She didn't respond, just looked away at the others sitting around.

Nothing was said as she looked at the menu, completely ignoring Ian as he brought the wine and asked her several questions, making sure as to not displease Malfoy. As she ignored all he had to say, she looked at the menu, not realizing how hungry she was. Her family had invaded her home, making it so she couldn't get a proper meal in before her date.

"Ms. Cunningham, what would you like?" she looked at the waiter.

"Oh…um…"

"She and I will have our usual." Was all Malfoy said, and with a flick of his hand sent the waiter away. Ginny didn't say anything to him, just sat and looked around at the many other patrons in the restaurant, all looking at them with interest. She looked away and at Malfoy who was once again staring at her.

"What?" she asked simply.

"Are you ever going to tell me where you were?" he questioned, Ginny didn't respond, only kept looking at him.

"No, not yet."

"When then?" he replied, taking a sip of his wine. "I think I have a right to know."

"A right?" she questioned, her brow furrowed.

"Yes, a right. You leave with no word or intention, I get a note a week later saying you needed space, and after five months you are back, and you won't even tell me where you went."

"I told you, I needed time," She lied, trying to remember what Faye would have told him, but Ginny didn't know who this person was. This Faye person was in love with Malfoy, Ginevra would never be in love with a man like him. He opened his mouth again as if to argue more, but he didn't only sigh.

"Faye," The blond man said simply, taking another sip of his wine. "The things I do for you." He looked away after that, and nodded as the food came behind them.

Ginny was surprised at the efficiency of the service; then again it may have been because Malfoy barked orders at every person he encountered. What surprised her more than that was what was placed in front of her. It was exactly what she had intended on ordering, the filet Minong with red potatoes, and a green salad. She knew herself better than she thought. The two ate in silence, Ginny trying her best to ignore him, even with him staring at her.

"I don't like your silence," He said to her after a while, "you're always talking." She didn't respond, "You've been different since you came back. There is something different."

"I went away to get some space, clear my head," She shrugged, as she shoved the last piece of meat in her mouth. "I am just…readjusting to everything." The grey eyed man didn't say anything after that only looked down at his meal, almost in distaste.

"The club has been doing exceptionally well; I think the new ceiling has something to do with it. I told Nigel that it was a good idea, he almost said no, then again I don't think I would have listened to his bloody opinions anyway. It was at an incredible cost to get someone to charm that, but it has brought it twice the revenue, I am glad I went with my instincts."

It went on like that for the rest of the night, him prattling on as Ginny sat at the table, sipping the wine and wondering why she was there. He had questioned her silence, and Ginny knew that a curious Malfoy was never a good one. She tried to be as attentive as possible, but she couldn't help but feel as if he liked the sound of his voice more than her own. The young woman didn't know how to be around him. Was the girl he loved talkative, so much that she never let him have a word in? Did they argue often, always wanting to be right, and neither ever winning? Was she demure, talked only when spoken to, played the role of love sick puppy. The last thought scared her more that she cared to admit, thinking that she, Ginevra Weasley, would let that filth close to her.

"Let's go," He said suddenly, as Ginny looked up from her plate. "This place bores me." He stood and went took out her seat, holding out his arm as he led her to the front door. When Malfoy held open her robe for her, she, for just a second, wished he wasn't the vilest person on earth, because being treated like this was almost nice. At Gimmauld place she was nothing more than a guest, never really belonging to her old home or the one she inhabited now. He led her out of the restaurant, placing his hand on the small of her back, she felt chills going down her spine when he did so. When a man did that it was usually out of love, yet with Malfoy it was about possession, making her go where he wanted her to.

The two walked down the street a bit, holding their robes closer to their bodies as to not let the cold air in. Not a word was said, as Ginny didn't trust herself to say anything to him, not caring that his eyes kept darting back to her. Ginny tried her best to hide the revolution in her face, his cologne too strong and pungent for her, Harry always smelled nice. The thought of Harry made her squeamish beside him.

Malfoy was the reason that she was no longer with Harry. He had stolen three years of her life and turned her into some love sick fool who fell for these cheap tricks. Ginny had heard the stories of the famous Draco Malfoy's charm in school, how he loved to show his girlfriends a spectacular time, making money no object. He would then treat them like shit once he got what he wanted; left them, cheated on them, and treated them as if they were no more than cheap tools in his goal for dominance. He was all about possessions, about owning what every one else wanted. Malfoy had captured her and forced her to be with him, to show Harry and her family. He most likely reveled in the fact that he now had the savior of the Wizarding world's girl on his arm.

"I'm tired," She said suddenly, feeling sick this close to him. "I think I am going to leave." He looked at her with a raised brow and nodded, stopping in mid-step. Draco Malfoy turned to face her, letting out a low breath.

"Tomorrow, same time," He said simply, taking out his wand. She nodded, wondering why he wasn't questioning where she was going or why. Ginny could see that he wanted to ask, but something was stopping him from doing so.

"Of course, good night…" She smiled the best she could at him, staring into his grey eyes. Ginny's breath caught in her throat as he suddenly came forward, placing a hand behind her neck, bringing her close.

The first thought in Ginny's head was to reach for her wand and hex him. To curse him into oblivion so he would never touch her again. She was aching to push away so his vile lip on hers wouldn't burn and make her ill at the same time. It was only a few moments before he pulled away, looking deep into her brown eyes, wiping a piece of brown hair out of her face.

"Good night, Faye," He whispered against her lips, and stepping away from her, he apparated out of sight.

After a few moments, Ginny spit on to the cobblestone road and rubbed her head; never having felt so sick in her life.


	7. Circumstances

A/N:

Hey all, here is a little treat if some of you are on vacation. This is one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you enjoy it. It may take a little longer for the next chapter, but have fun none the less.

Y.S.

* * *

Ginny continued seeing Malfoy every day for the next three weeks. It was a regular event that she go to the club at ten sharp, wait for him to get her, and then the two go to different restaurant all over Britain and even France. She had been places she had always dreamed of, and everywhere they went they had a usual. "Mr. Draco Malfoy and Ms. Faye Cunningham" were revered at every place they went. People feared them, and though Ginny hated to admit it, it was almost nice. 

Not a day went by when Malfoy wasn't giving her something new. He took her shopping and would surprise her with clothes by owl. He pampered her, made sure she had all that she needed, but never asked questions. Every once in a while, when the wine had been served, he would ask again, "Where were you?" taking a sip of wine. Ginny had learned to avoid it, and ask a question about the events happening at the bar that weekend. There were days when she had to ask that question several times, but he always responded, never getting angry or flustered over the fact that his "Faye" wasn't telling him what he wanted.

The young woman spent a majority of her time with Malfoy; and her family had begun to notice. Her mother would Floo over to Grimmauld Place with hot meals in hand, trying to tempt Ginny into coming to dinner. Yet Ginny always had the excuse of having to see Malfoy that evening. Her mother would wail about having to spend so much time with that "disgusting wanker" which never failed to make her laugh. Yet as invitation after invitation to dinner was declined, she could see the worry in her mother's voice.

Molly wasn't the only person who noticed how much time she was spending with Malfoy. Her brothers, Professor McGonagall and even Harry had inquired as to the amount of time spent in the presence of Draco Malfoy.

"It's not what you think," she said exasperatedly to her mother, as she sat at the table in Grimmauld place. "I have to spend time with him, I am getting more information by the day."

"What?" Molly asked, shaking her head. "What has he told you that we don't already know? He likes buying you things, but Ginny if you are only going back to him for the gifts…"

"Stop," Ginny said simply, "You stop right there. This is not enjoyable for me, you act as if I like spending all my time with him. If I don't he gets suspicious, I can't risk him getting too nosy about where I go when I leave him. So the little I leave him, the little I get questioned." Her mother looked at her with a knowing look.

Ginny just looked out the window and took a long sip of her tea, pretending not to see the disappointment in her mother's eyes. A part of Ginny wasn't really bothered by the fact that her mother disapproved of Malfoy, or that her entire family hated him. It almost made Ginny happy to see them so miserable, to see them finally worry about her. They treated her with such contempt that the only people to bother with her these days were her mother and Remus. Ron officially had a reason not to see her, saying he wasn't going to be around someone who allied themselves with people like Malfoy. Ginny had merely raised a brow at him, which he paled at, saying it looked just like Malfoy's.

"I just want what is best for you, Ginny," Molly said with a sigh. The younger woman shrugged, having no answer.

"I don't know what is best for me right now, mum," she said truthfully, "I am not happy here and I'm not happy with Malfoy. It's a chore to be both places at once, to be Faye and Ginevra. The only time I am truly happy is…" she looked at her mum, letting out a breath, "Is when I'm alone. Because with everyone around, I honestly don't know who I am." Her mother nodded, finishing off her tea.

"What about Christmas then?" asked Molly with a smile, "it's less than two weeks away and I want you to be there for a Weasley Christmas, you've been gone so long."

"I don't know," answered Ginny, "Malfoy wants us to have Christmas Dinner. I don't think he will like me being gone."

There was a long silence after that, her mother getting up and setting her dishes into the sink. Ginny didn't bother to comfort her mother in not wanting to be around on Christmas. In her eyes, it was a family event, and she no longer belonged to that family. She then too stood up and placed her dishes along side her mothers.

"I have to leave soon." The younger woman said to her mother, a soft smile on her face.

"Malfoy?" questioned Molly, her face forlorn. Ginny nodded.

"He's the only one who wants to see me." She said stiffly, "It's nice to have someone who wants you. Even if it is for his own personal gain." Molly opened her mouth to say something but Ginny merely kissed her on the cheek and left the kitchen and the house.

* * *

Ginny paced the floor of her room, biting her nails furiously. Her mind raced as she sat on her bed, giving a sigh as she did so. The young woman looked out her window to see the snow falling softly, causing a chill to run up her spine. She brought her robe closer to her body, hoping that the fire she lit would soon warm up her room. Christmas was fast approaching, but her mind was far from any holiday spirit. She was waiting for Remus to come because she had some information to give him. Her leg shook as she relived the past few days with Draco Malfoy. 

It had been filled with outings and meetings with people who were well acquainted with her, but whom she had never met. They all had called her Faye and given her hugs and air kisses, happy to see her and Malfoy back together. She was taken all over London and dined at the finest places in the Wizarding World. She danced, chatted and never felt more at ease then with these people who she didn't even know. Who she knew conducted some sort of "business" with Malfoy. They all met on friendly terms, but when the men went out for a cigar, she knew more than just entrepreneurial tips were being shared.

However, things with Malfoy himself had begun to grow. Now that they had "returned" to some sort of routine, his demeanor towards her had changed. It could be described as soft, he treated her with familiarity and even a bit of kindness. Though Ginny was the last person to admit it to her, Faye was constantly thanking Malfoy for all the wonderful things he did for her. She also found that she had some what of a family at Serpent Sortia. Nigel was a great friend to her, as was Ramiro, the waitress Rose was a bit hard to get close to, as she avoided her like the plague. Yet Nigel had assured her that that's just how she was. Even the high class that she met treated her as an equal; though if they had treated her any differently Malfoy would have something to say about it.

Ginny shot up as Remus walked though her bedroom door, his face red from the cold. She smiled at him and opened her mouth to start, but then another person came though her door. Harry stood behind Remus, a large basin in his hand as he closed door behind him with his foot. He didn't look at her, but merely placed the stone basin on a desk and shook out the snow from his hair, looking out the window.

"Hello Ginevra, sorry we are late," Remus said, nodding at her. She smiled at him but then furrowed her brow.

"Not to be too terribly rude," Ginny said in a haughty voice, "Remus wasn't this supposed to be a private meeting?" he smiled softly, looking at Harry whose eyes were focused outside the window.

"Well, since you've come back, files on Malfoy and all his last doings have also been opened up as well. Harry was the last one to work on his files at the Ministry, so it is up to him to take care of any dealings that has to do with the Malfoy's. And since what you have to show me includes Malfoy, I thought it only reasonable that he come as well. It is official ministry business; I hope it won't interfere with anything." Ginny looked at Remus with narrowed eyes, his voice was too light and his demeanor was too sweet. He was up to something. She merely smiled and nodded.

"Of course it won't, if he is on the case then its fine." Harry looked at her, and smiled awkwardly. "Hello Harry." It came out strained, and full of tension.

"Ginevra," She bit back the scoff that wanted to come out, he was being cold. She practically lived with Malfoy, she knew how to be cold better than he did.

"So, what is this you have to show me, as you can see we brought the Pensive."

Harry moved aside as Ginny and Remus walked toward it, looking at the swirling mist inside.

"Yes," Ginny said, taking out her wand and taking out a long strand of a memory from her mind. She placed it in the pensive, and then looked at Harry with apprehension. "I thought it best be seen though Pensive, there are a few things that I couldn't figure out myself, making sure I heard things right. I needed an outside opinion, and if I am right, I think we have a definite lead on activities beyond the club and…"

"Being with you," Harry finished sharply. Ginny simply looked him in the eye,

"Yes," was her reply, and he looked almost taken back as she took out another memory and placed it in the Pensive. "These are from the past few nights. We've been about town. The first one, Malfoy and I are at a restaurant in Wales, and we are with a couple named Henry and Muriel Frobisher. And the other was…" her brown eyes darted to Harry's and then back to Remus, "you will see." All three stood over the basin and placed their faces deep into the cold icy memories of the Pensive.

They landed in the middle of a crowded restaurant. Ginny inclined her head to where their table that night had been. She and Remus moved forward to hear what they were talking about, but out of the corner of her eye Ginny saw Harry stay where he was, his arms crossed over his chest.

The scene before them had she and Malfoy sitting at the table with the other couple. They had been well into dinner when she, Remus and Harry arrived. A few bottles of wine had been opened and they were discussing a trip the Frobisher's had taken to Australia that had been filled with so many instances that involved Muggles.

"…so some filthy Muggle comes up to be, a in a black suit that fitted his body too closely, I thought I should have died the way he was poking out of it," laughed Muriel, sipping some wine. "Faye" had laughed but hid her disgust behind the glass of wine. Ginny looked to Remus and nodded.

"Their parents supported Voldemort but never took any real involvement. They hate Muggles and Muggle born, much as Malfoy does and apparently so does Faye. We spent most of the evening laughing at their expense."

"Should I have them looked into?" came Harry, who was intently staring at Malfoy and herself behind her. She turned to see Malfoy place an arm around her shoulders, pressing their bodies closer. The brown haired woman turned back to Harry.

"So you two have gotten closer." Remus said, looking at Harry who had his arms over his chest. "Has he stopped questioning you?"

"No, he asks where I've been after every date, every letter, every time we eat dinner. I answer him the same, but its getting old, and the more I act like I enjoy his company the less he is likely to ask."

"So kiss his ass, and you won't be bothered?" Snapped Harry, his green eyes boring into hers.

"Yes, but that isn't what we are here to look at. In a moment Malfoy and Henry will go off to have a cigar. Leaving me alone with a very chatty and bit sloshed Muriel." She turned back to point as the two men left, leaving her alone with the other woman.

"Oh Faye!" she said, taking a larger gulp of wine, wiping a piece of blond hair out of her face. "I am so glad you are back. It's been absolutely awful having Draco over for dinner without you. He's been in a right foul state."

"Yes, I heard he's been a bigger ass then ever. Makes me glad to see I can get some emotion out of him than just snide remarks." She sipped some wine as well, watching as Muriel had another bottle of wine opened by a waiter. The three watching came around the table and sat near them, making sure to hear all that was going to be said.

"He even had a row with Henry when you left. I thought they were never going to speak again." Ginny waited for her to take a few more gulps of wine.

"What had they fought about?" she asked, taking a sip of water, watching closely as Muriel finished her glass.

"You, I believe." She said, Ginny furrowed her brow and grabbed the bottle of wine, pouring her a large glass full. Muriel smiled happily and took another large gulp, smacking her lips as she finished.

"Really, what did Henry say?"

"Well, apparently right after you left Malfoy had you followed." She took another large mouthful as Ginny furrowed her brows.

"What?"

"Oh yes, he had you followed as far as the Netherlands, but lost you. It seems that Henry's contacts down there lost you in Amsterdam and Malfoy came to the house in the middle of the sodding night demanding that he go back and fix what our contacts did!" Ginny refilled Muriel's glass as she picked it up, sipping it gingerly this time.

"Where had they followed me before Amsterdam?" she asked, watching Muriel closely.

"Let me think… um… oh yes… they had you followed to Portugal, Spain… how was Spain? I keep telling Henry to take me but he's been putting it off for years!"

"It was lovely, very cold. Any where in Spain did I go?"

"Um, I think it was Milan, and then Amsterdam." She looked dazed as she thought about what places Henry and Malfoy had her followed. "Well, this is all Henry told me. That after Amsterdam their contacts lost you, and Malfoy threw a fit. He even broke my favorite mirror!" She laughed for a moment and then bit her lip, her penciled in brow's furrowing. "Where were you going, Faye?"

"I just needed a little space from Malfoy." She said awkwardly, thinking of the broadest reason to leave some one, "We were just moving so fast."

"Hmm…well I can understand, he is just so mean!" She laughed again, "but Merlin how he loves you, I never saw him so enraged then when you left. I mean, to follow you all the way to Amsterdam! Well, his fault he most likely said something rude and scared you off."

"Did he mention any specific places that I went, any people he knew?"

"Henry and Malfoy know the entire Wizarding world, anything to do with night clubs, liquor, and expensive property would have them all over it. I know he mentioned a night club in Lisbon. Henry and I spent a few weeks there once; it's a lovely place, though the Portuguese are hard to understand. Well, that's all he told me. I was just always curious why Malfoy would have you followed when he let you go in the first place." She took another gulp of wine.

"He didn't exactly let me go, I sort of left."

"Always so possessive, well he has you back, and that's all that really matters! Ah, Henry, can you order another bottle of this wine, it's to die for!"

Malfoy slipped into the seat next to Faye, placing his arm once more over her shoulders. The two looked at each other for a moment before returning to the conversation the Frobisher's were having about taking a trip to Milan. Mist began to swirl around the scene as the three outsiders were taken to another memory.

"So, Malfoy had you followed." Harry said smugly, raising his brow.

"It seems so. It must be driving him crazy to know that he had me trailed for a while but then lost me. He hates not having the upper hand on a situation," she looked Harry in the eye then, "and to lose me must have driven him insane." He merely looked at Remus, who tried his best not to be interested in their conversation.

"Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands? These are all extremely odd places, but all still in Europe. Do you know who owns the buildings Malfoy uses for his club?"

"No, I'm going to guess he owns them all himself, you know the Malfoy, uses their own resources unless it is absolutely necessary to have a partner."

"But he has Henry Frobiser, so that means he must have needed someone. A name, a good name in which to own and operate all his clubs. Everyone in the Wizarding world hates the Malfoy name, any good people any way; so dealing in things such as liquor and property must have been done through Frobiser." Harry came, looking at Remus with a nod.

"The Frobishser's don't seem too deep into the arts," added Ginny, "but I agree, everyone we come into contact with are Pureblood, there is no doubt about it. They all fear him, the money and the power he must possess in the communities that still thrive on the ideal of Pureblood give him enough leverage to do whatever he pleases." She nodded at that thought, never really wondering why any body turned him in, as he played a huge part in the start of the war.

"Yes, and he must need a clean name to do business with." Remus said, inclining his head towards Harry. "You will need to do a thorough search on the Forbisher's, anything either of them have done with in the last five years."

"What are we to do about the places I've been? We need someone out there to check all these places for any traces of… me." Ginny brought up to the two men, who were scribbling notes down on a pad Remus had thought to bring. They were scribbling furiously and so engrossed in their ideas that they didn't see when the new memory appeared out of the thick of the mist. They talked for a few moments while Ginny tried her best to get a word in, but as usual, she was left with out a thought. It wasn't until Harry had looked up at her that he saw the new memory.

"What if we get some one just to go to each of the clubs, check old guest lists…" Ginny was looking at both of them expectantly, but neither of them would now catch her eye. Remus was an odd pink, looking down at his note pad as if his life depended on it, while Harry was turning a very violent shade of red as he looked past her. Ginny then turned around to see what they had come upon. "Oh yes, I forgot to warn you." She gave a sigh and began explaining the scene before them.

It was of Malfoy and herself once again; this time alone in his office. Ginny gave a sigh and stood before where they were on the couch. She looked past her shoulder to see if what was happening was as bad as she thought. There it was, the two of them passionately locked in a kiss. They had been at a party of one of his collogues and had more than a few glasses of wine. When they returned to his office, he had begun kissing her, and Ginny, for some odd reason of her own couldn't stop it.

"What the hell is this?" growled Harry, his breathing heavy as he started past the young woman. She shrugged.

"I need you two to come closer." She said, trying to stay level headed and calm, "there is something you need to …hear."

"There is nothing to see here." Harry said simply, looking at her with disgust. "What is this, pay back?"

"Not everything is about your Harry, what I do with Malfoy is none of your business. And obviously this wasn't "payback" as you so put it, because I didn't even expect you to come. Right Remus?" The old lovers both looked at Remus expectantly, who looked at them both with confusion. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before clearing his throat.

"Let's just hear what is supposed to be… said…" he smiled at them both briefly, and walked past them, getting close to the kissing couple. Ginny merely raised a brow to Harry and turned around, standing where they needed to be.

Ginny stood before herself and Malfoy, watching with fascination. She watched as Malfoy held her, holding her back and bringing her close, as if to take all of her in. He put a hand into her hair, massaging her head softly as he kissed her. Their breath was harsh, each gasping for breath when they came up from the dizzying kisses. Ginny could not help but feel a blush creep up in her face and neck as she watched. She remembered the shock she felt when Malfoy had truly begun to kiss her. He had kissed her before, obviously, but never like this. It was tender and wanting. She felt his fever for her as he held her body, kissing his way down her neck.

"Stop," She breathed, pulling away from him. He didn't respond, only kept kissing down her neck, sucking on a soft spot on her neck. Ginny looked at the other two and inclined her head towards the couch, they all bent forward. "I…"

"Ginny," he said, looking up and into her brown eyes. The Ginny before him simply looked into his eyes, not having the courage to say anything at all. He wiped a piece of brown hair out of her eyes, and she watched every move he made. "Are you done running away from me yet?" She didn't respond, and when he cupped her face in his hands, running a thumb over her cheek, all she could do was kiss him.

The silver mist once again began to grow, and the three outsiders were thrown form Malfoy's office back to Grimmauld Place. They landed on their feet with a thud as the mist cleared from their heads. Harry immediately put as much space between Ginny and himself as he possibly could in such a small room, as she and Remus sat down on the bed.

"Ginny…he said Ginny…" Remus said looking at his note pad.

"Yes, he did. It threw me off completely. Had they brain washed me to pretend to be this Faye Cunningham, why is he calling me Ginny." She bit her nail, her mind going a mile a minute.

"So, I guess there are a few things we need to do then." Remus said, standing up, "one, we need to look up the Frobisher's, check for our own contacts in Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, and lastly, wonder why Malfoy had said Ginny, and not Faye."

"He calls me Faye constantly, "she told him seriously, "Even when we have been alone, but this was the first time he called me Ginny."

"Was this the first time you two…" Remus turned pink, clearing his throat. "You know…"

"Shagged?" barked Harry, who was looking out the window, Ginny ignored him and kept her gaze on her old friend, making sure not to turn around and bite his head off.

"We never shag," Was all she said in response to Harry, "but yes, this was the first time we ever… snogged…I guess is the best way to put it. Normally it is never more than a good night kiss, but that night, I guess I had too much to drink. He's vile."

"From what I saw, he didn't seem too vile," Harry said sharply, this time Ginny looked at him with a knitted brow, and when she opened her mouth to say something, Remus cut in.

"It must mean that he normally doesn't call you Faye," He said quickly, "He must call you Faye in public because if he goes off spouting your name he could get in trouble, but in private there is no need for such formalities."

"But if he knows who I am, and I know who I am, then why am I still with him? He let me go, calls me Ginny."

"Remember he also had you followed, and had been calling you Faye until then. You think it's a test. He has Muriel tell you all that he as done, and then does this."

"He could have a million different reasons why this could all be happening," Ginny said to him, sitting next to Remus with a sigh. "Do you think this could be a test, to see how I react to all this information?" She shrugged, "I won't know until I get more out of him." She bit her lip and looked at him, "which means I most likely won't be joining you at the Burrow for Christmas."

"I don't get it," Harry snapped suddenly, his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest. "You showed us that memory to what… show us Malfoy getting in your knickers?" Ginny looked up at him with an open mouth. Her brows knitted together as she stared at him, his chest rising heavily as he stared back at her.

"Sod off, Potter." She said, getting up from her place next to Remus. Who was once again staring at his pad of paper as if life depended on it. "I told you I had a reason to show you that memory. Last time I checked, you go to bed with another woman every night, so before you go off saying something you will regret, I would ask you to remember that."

"I go home to some one I married, I made a promise to her. You go to Malfoy…"

"Don't you dare talk to me about promises!" she half shouted, "you made me a promise way before you made one to your new wife. So don't go and say things that you can't live up to."

"Are you saying I can't live up to someone like that filth Malfoy?"

"No, I am saying at least he has some decency to keep his promises!" His eyes narrowed, as he left his place in front of the window, coming to face her.

"Don't compare me to Malfoy," he breathed, "don't you _ever_ compare me to him. He didn't have to lose you…"

"He did," she told him simply, "he did lose me, and he had no problem chasing me half way across Europe to get me back."

"I doubt that he wanted you, he just wanted another one of his possessions back." Harry spat harshly, "So what is this, he gives you gifts and you fuck him for thanks?"

Ginny raised her hand and slapped Harry clear across the face, causing a terrible silence to follow. Their heavy breathing was the only things to be heard as the three of them stood still in the small room. Ginny simply stared at him, trying her best to hold back her tears as he walked away from her and looked out of the window once more.

"I…" she couldn't even think of anything to say, or how to stop the trembling in her voice as she spoke, so she said nothing, only grabbed her coat from its place on the chair and walked out of the room.

She ran down the steps as fast as she could, rubbing the tears out of her eyes as she did so. Her mind ran a mile a minute as she his harsh words echoed over and over. He didn't understand, he could never understand. Everyone had this idea that she spent time with Malfoy because he gave her things, he doted upon her. Yet it never was the case, she told them she was with him constantly to get information, to find out what happened to her those three years, it was that, but so much more as well. Malfoy, out of all her family and friends, was the only person who wanted to be with her. He made her feel alive, almost worth coming back from the dead for.

Though the idea that Malfoy was cruel, evil, and totally self interested never left her mind, when they were together, it was as if it didn't matter. He cared about what she had to say, and when kissed her… It was almost perfect, but Ginny always found comfort in the fact that he was vile, and she did it all to get her life back together. Her life where she was happy, where he family loved her, and Harry still wanted to be with her.

She reached the last step, wiping her nose on her traveling cloak and walked into the foyer, just wanting to be out of the house and far away from Harry Potter. She had been so lost in her own thoughts and loud sniffling noises that she didn't hear the pair of legs running down the steps. Ginny grabbed her bag from its place on the table and grabbed the door knob.

"Don't," was the voice that stopped her. She held on to the handle, telling her self to open the door. To walk out and not look back at the man whose voice made her heart beat faster. She wanted to walk out and slam the door in his face, showing who had the upper hand and pride left. Ginny didn't care for what her family said anymore; they had no right to tell her what to do or who to see. She took care of herself now, she had to be self reliant and not waste her time loving people who just didn't, and wouldn't, love her back. "Please don't leave."

And to be truly free, she had to walk away from Harry first.

"Stop it," She said simply, willing herself to turn the handle and walk out.

"Ginny, please."

"Just stop it, Harry." With all her might, she pulled the door open, getting a full blast of the cold winter air on her face. "You said what you want, what you think of me, and now I want to leave."

"You live here," he tried, but she wouldn't have it.

"Stop making it so hard."

"I'm …I'm not."

"Yes you are, do you think I like this, and do you think I enjoy being this person. I am this person because I have to be, because I have to be strong. I have no one to turn to, no one is left for me. So forgive me if I find a bit of solitude, a bit of… normalcy in Malfoy." She walked out the door, bringing her robe tighter around her waist to keep out the cold. She trekked though the snow, not caring that it came up past her ankles, causing her pants to get wet. All Ginny knew was that she had to get away from Harry, to put as much space between them as possible.

"That used to be me once," He called out, the crunching of snow told her that he was coming to where she was standing. "I used to be the one you ran to for that, why can't it be me again?"

"Because you are married, because it's been three years and I have to get over the fact that…" she cleared her throat, turning around to look at him, "I just have to get over it all."

"I…"

"I can't play this game any more Harry, its driving me insane. I can't just stand here and wait for a miracle …"

"And I can't stand here and watch as you run to Malfoy."

She gave an exasperated sigh, "I am not running to him…"

"I can't stand this Ginny. Do you know how much it killed me to see you kiss him, do you know how much I want to tear him apart because he had his arm around you. That used to be us, that used to be me. You don't think I still think about you… love you even…"

"Harry." He walked up to her quickly, taking her in his arms, his breath coming out in silver puffs because of the cold and the falling snow. His jet black hair was covered with white snow flakes, as he held on to her tightly.

"No matter what you think, no matter what I say or don't, you are the love of my life." Ginny's breath caught in her throat as the tears she held back began to fall quickly. "You are the one I loved and dreamed of being with since I was in Hogwarts. I was supposed to come home to you, I planned my life with you. And to know that you have been around this whole time, and to see you with Malfoy, even though I know you hate it, and even though I know it hurts you more than you say, I hate it." He looked deep into her eyes. "You don't think it kills me to look at my wife and wish that she was you."

Ginny grabbed the sides of his face and pressed her lips against his. She kissed him fiercely, taking in all she could before reality had time to catch up. He wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer. The cold around them seem to melt away as they continued to kiss. She slid her hands into his hair, feeling its soft locks underneath her finger tips, loving the way he moaned as she did so. _This is home_, Ginny thought to herself, _this has to be._ She pulled away, needing to refill her lungs with air before they exploded. She looked into his green eyes, seeing that familiar look of want that made her entire body warm.

He didn't say anything, only took her face into his hands, looking deep into her brown eyes. She rubbed her face against his hands, loving the rough texture against her soft skin.

"Ginny," He said with a sigh, a smile creeping up on his lips. "You're so beautiful. I can't believe how long I've gone without you." She smiled in return, a blush creeping onto her face like a school girl.

"I've miss you so much. I am sorry about Malfoy, I am sorry about it all…"

"You've nothing to apologize for." He said simply, kissing her forehead, "you are back, all the rest doesn't matter."

"This is home," she said, holding onto him, resting her head on his chest, "this is where I belong, to you Harry. Why did this all have to happen?"

"I used to think the same thing when you first died." He told her, resting his head on top of hers. "It turns out you never died at all just lost was all." Ginny closed her eyes and took in a large breath, taking in his smell. She was surprised when she was hit with a clean crisp smell, because Malfoy always smelled spicy, with a hint of aftershave. Ginny furrowed her brow at the thought, why had Malfoy popped up in her head? "Everything alright?" he asked, looking down at her. The young woman looked up and smiled at him.

"Right now," she said, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "nothing could be so perfect." And with that, she kissed him once more.


	8. Christmas

A/n: Hey All! Its been a while but here is the latest chapter! I hope you all had great winter Holidays!!! Happy 2008!

* * *

It was Christmas Eve, Malfoy and Ginny were attending a party thrown by the Frobisher's at their country home in Oulston, in the north of England. Their home was large and beautiful, with many old family paintings and richly furnished. There was a large fire roaring in the sitting room; little house elves running around with trays and refilling guest's drinks. An unknown source was filling the house with old holiday music, which the young woman hummed to her self softly. It was another rich home, and if Ginny had seen one, she had seen them all. Even though the young woman did enjoy the company of the Forbirsher's and a few of the other people who were in attendance, her mind was more agreeably engaged.

She sat in one of large white chairs, watching as the others conversed amongst themselves. Malfoy was in the corner, talking to two men she had never met, a large glass of brandy in his hand. He turned and looked at her, the slightest of smiles coming from the corners of his mouth. She raised her glass slightly, giving him a slight smile as well, turning her eyes away.

The gathering held no real interest to her, so she smiled at those who smiled at her, and chatted with those who came and sat with her. The young woman sat in a far corner, a glass of whiskey on the rocks in her hand. She didn't sit with the women, as many of them were married and talked of nothing but redoing the foyer and the best way to keep the word "heir" coming out of their husband's mouths. As for sitting with the men, it was out of the question; she wasn't allowed. Sitting in the corner and watching them is what Ginny did best, that and thinking about Harry.

Being with Malfoy after having kissed Harry for the first time in years was horrible for Ginny. Though he was debonair, rich, and at moments sincere with her, he paled in comparison. Harry had told her she was the love of his life, and Ginny relished in the thought of him one day belonging to her again. They hadn't seen each other since then, but he had owled a few times, letting her know of how he missed her. Ginny looked at them each night before she went to bed, holding them close and had read them so often she remembered each and every one of his words. He loved her, and she was going to do everything in her power to get him back.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ginny looked up to see a brown haired man standing before her. She didn't smile or even respond to him, but turned her head, taking a long sip from her glass. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of her, a glass of wine held loosely in his hands. The man had brown eyes and a sharp, slightly hooked nose, he reminded Ginny of Professor Snape, but with a lighter demeanor. "You seem to be the life of the party, over here alone in the corner."

"Is there a reason you are here?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"Just came to see why such an appealing woman would be sitting all alone when Malfoy is off talking business with his mates."

"What is it to you?" she snapped, finally looking at him.

"Nothing much, but I find it interesting that after being on a tight leash all these years, you leave him and actually came back." He took a sip of his wine, giving her another smile, "had it been me, I would have kept running."

"Well, had it been _you_, I would have." He gave a little chuckle, tapping her knee with his knuckles. She gave him a disgruntled look before shifting her knees out of his grasp.

"An attitude and an adorable smile, I am glad you haven't changed a bit." She gave him a questioning look, "ah, don't tell me you've forgotten our little conversation two Christmas's ago, Faye."

"I try to," She said, trying her best to seem interested but distant at the same time. Ginny looked at him with a raised brow, as he moved closer to her.

"Let me remind you of it, it was here, at Henry and Muriel's annual Christmas Eve party. We sat together the whole night laughing, drinking, and talking about everything. I asked you why you were with someone like Malfoy, and you told me that it wasn't exactly your choice, had you the option, you'd be far away from him as possible." She didn't respond to him, only watched as he took another sip of his wine, placing it on a tray carried by a house elf. "Refreshed your memory."

"I can see why I have chosen to forget it," Ginny replied angrily, biting her lip at the thought, would she have revealed so much to a stranger. They had met once over a two years ago, had more been shared than he let on. "Trying to spark some interest?"

"As a matter of fact yes," he smiled at her, "I am sure you have come to your senses by now. Faye, I can treat you far better than…"

"Than whom?" They both looked up to see Malfoy standing over them, taking a sip from his brandy glass and placing it on a table. Ginny immediately stood up, and stood behind him, making sure not to touch him.

"Nothing, mate," The brown haired man said standing as well and giving them both a charming smile.

"If that is the case then you can go and refill Faye's glass," Malfoy said, taking her glass and thrusting it into the other man's hands. "Thank you." There was finality and a bit of a growl as he finished, a scowl on his face. The other simply smiled slightly and turned his back walking away from the two.

There was an awkward silence between the two as they stood there, Ginny still facing his back. He didn't say anything, as he picked up his brandy glass again and finished it. Ginny fidgeted with the end of her black dress, feeling a blush creep up her neck and to her face. She didn't know what to say or how to react. Should she be sorry, even though she had technically done nothing wrong? Should she start saying things about him, even though she didn't even know his name, but Malfoy didn't know that. So, she stood quietly, just watching as he breathed in and out quickly.

"I…"

"Let us say goodbye, I don't want to be here anymore." He walked quickly and began telling everyone goodbye, Ginny not far behind. She hugged and air kissed as Malfoy shook hands and told the men he would be seeing them tomorrow. They made their way to the front doors, a house elf presenting them with their robes and gloves. Putting them on in silence they walked out of the house and down the steps, walking past the wards to the apparition spot. Grabbing her waist, he took out his wand and apparated the two back to the office at the club. He let go of her, and silence ensued.

"I see once again that Simon Prince has captured your attention." He began, his back facing her as he placed his robes on a coat rack.

"That wasn't the case," She said simply, not bothering to take off any of her belongings.

"It seemed like it from where I was standing," the blond retorted, standing in front of his desk. "So what was the case then?"

"I was sitting, he came and began to speak, and then you came." He raised a brow at her, "are you implying it was something more."

"I'm implying nothing," He replied, "The last time he came into contact you two had gotten very close and sloshed. I can only imagine that you two wanted to pick up from where you left off." She furrowed her brow.

"Don't be ridiculous. Once again, you allow your paranoia to run away with you." She crossed her arms over her chest as he stood there watching her.

"I have every right to be paranoid after what happened last time and what I heard."

"And what exactly did happen last time," She asked, trying to get more information out of him, "because according to you, I practically ran off with him."

"You told him private information," He said sternly, "information that could get us both into trouble, do you want that?" she didn't reply, "I know you were angry at me then, and you had every right to be, but giving us away, it would have cost us everything, Weasley!"

"Oh, now we are back to Weasley!" she cried, rolling her eyes as she did so. "So let me get this straight, because once again you leave me at a loss. I told Prince a few things while I was sloshed, things I can't even remember saying. And that put us into jeopardy? I've lived a long time with secrets Malfoy, and one slip almost two years ago is causing us trouble?"

"So now we are back to Malfoy?" he countered, she didn't respond to that. "Well, then you made it seem as if being with him would have been better than being with… being here." He looked at her with his deep sliver eyes, "You did leave, so I assume that you still feel that way, despite your claims."

Ginny looked at him for a moment, watching as his posture stayed the same, but something in his eyes changed. For an instant, he looked pleading, as if asking where she was all over again. "That is what this is about, isn't it? Me leaving." He didn't say anything, only put his arms across his chest as well. "Well…"

She looked at him and for a fleeting second, she saw worry in his eyes and as soon as it came it was gone. He stood there cold and proud, his sharp features making him look menacing.

"Where were you?" he snapped. "You've avoided the question for almost two months now, and I want to know. I want to know now."

"Now?" she barked. "Oh that's right, you have a right to all my private actions."

"That's right," He responded, "I will not ask you again." They stared each other down, neither of them wanting to break the gaze first. After a while, she sighed, dropping her arms to her side.

"I am not your property," She said simply. "I'm leaving."

"Don't walk out on me, Faye." He called out, yet Ginny could hear a slight quiver in his voice.

"Stop it," She told him simply. "If you ever want things back to how they were, then stop calling me Faye and stop asking me questions you have no right to," and with that she walked out of his office and Apparated home.

* * *

Ginny didn't get to bed till late that night, having arrived home well past two in the morning, and couldn't fall asleep till about six. She tossed and turned, thinking about Malfoy. Something about his countenance that night, and the way he looked at her almost made her feel sorry for him. It always worried her as to whether he wanted to know because he was truly in love with her, or because he had let his toy go away for more than he wanted. She of course had thought this many times, but it still came back into her head. What were his true motives, and what did he really want from her? He called her Weasley, which means a lot more than she knew. As the night waned on, her mind went from a confused Malfoy to an in love Harry. With that, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

The next morning Ginny woke up about half past noon, groggy from the previous night's terrible sleep. She rolled out of bed and padded her way down the hall and down the steps, eager to get a hot cup of tea in her before she went back to bed. She walked into her kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, not noticing the person standing at the stove.

"Oh, there you are dumpling!" came a voice, causing Ginny to scream. She threw her self against the back wall and looked at the person standing with a wand in hand.

"Mum, what the bloody hell are you doing?" she snapped, running a hand through her hair.

"Darling, watch your tongue. Why, have you forgotten that today is Christmas?" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes mum, I know that it is Christmas, but my question is why you are here? Shouldn't you be at the Burrow making dinner?"

"Well, I thought to myself that since you wouldn't come to dinner, we would bring the dinner here!" she said brightly, flicking her wand so that sausages came flying from the ice box to her cutting board. Ginny groaned, her lip curling.

"Mum, I thought I told you that I …"

"I know what you said dear, but I'm sure M…_he_ wouldn't mind if you took one day from him." Ginny didn't want to favor her mother by telling her that they had gotten into a bit of a row the night before. So she sighed, and sat at the table as her mum sent a steaming cup of tea to the table. "Besides, the entire Weasley clan and then some are coming for your first Christmas home! Which reminds me Fleur, Hermione and Charlotte are coming by to help me with dinner, will you be joining us?" She asked happily, flicking her wand once again. Ginny finished her tea quickly and shook her head.

"No, I had a long night last night; I want to go back to bed and then shower."

"The hours he keeps you out," Molly whispered, shelling peas, "alright, be down

for dinner at seven, please don't be late this is your own house." Ginny nodded as she stood up and walked out of the kitchen. When she reached her room, she heard the main door open as the other three Weasley women came to help her mum with dinner. She immediately got back into bed, pulling her blue covers over her head. The loud talking from the kitchen below floated into her room, their laughter and music that her mother insisted on playing made her squirm.

Her heart felt tight in her chest as she tried to drown out the happy Christmas cheer her mother was trying to bring into Grimmauld place. Yet Ginny had long learned that this place had always been made as a hide out for those who wanted to be apart from the world. The Order of the Phoenix used it to keep hidden from the Death Eaters, Sirius Black was kept apart from everything he loved, and now Ginny had to use it because she wasn't wanted.

Ginny woke up groggy once again, a pounding headache and an ill feeling in her stomach. She padded over to her bath room, took off her pajamas and jumped in, loving the hot water spray across her body. She stood there for a long time, letting the water wake her up from her restless sleep. After gently washing her hair and scrubbing her body she stopped the water, grabbing a fluffy white towel from its place on the sink. Wrapping it around herself, she wiped the steam from the mirror, getting a good look at her sopping hair. Its roots were now growing out, her natural red standing apart from the dark brown. With finality, she stomped over to her dresser grabbed her wand and pointed it at her head.

After getting dressed, the renewed redhead went over to her mirror and gave herself a once over. She was wearing a dark blue dress, Malfoy had sent it over a few days before hoping she would wear it Christmas day for dinner. Since she wasn't going to be seeing Malfoy; she deiced to not let it go to waist. It was simple v-neck dress, synched at her sides and flowed down her thighs ending at the knees. She put on a simple pair of heels and a solid thin chain around her neck. Her red tresses falling down her shoulder, Ginny gave them a tug, a smile forming on her lips.

Yet it wasn't her hair color that was making her simile. Harry would be coming tonight, and Ginny hoped that he would like it. Her heart raced a little bit as she thought about him, his green eyes and black tousled hair, wearing a smile that was meant for only her. The redhead grabbed some lip stick putting a generous amount on her lips. Smacking them together she smiled, knowing that tonight was going to change everything. From her room she could hear family members coming into the house laughter and Christmas cheer being shared by them all. Looking at the clock that read six forty three, she made her way down to her family.

She took each step carefully, trying not to slow her heart beat. Her stomach was doing somersaults as she reached the first landing. From there she could see a large tree in sitting room, presents over flowing from underneath. A large fire was going, as the many stockings tried their best to stay on the mantel. The clattering of plates could be heard from the kitchen, the sound of George telling a joke to the family. Ginny began flattening her dress self consciously, hoping that tonight no one would bring up the name Malfoy. As she took in the sight before her, she failed to see the man standing at the bottom of the steps, waiting for her.

"You look beautiful," Harry said, taking her out of her own thoughts. She gave him a double take, having not even noticed his presence. She stopped about three steps from him, the smile she reserved only for him gracing her lips.

"Harry," Ginny breathed, a blush creeping up her neck. "Thank you, you look wonderful yourself." He grinned, and Ginny's resolve began to fade.

"Your hair, it's red again." She took a step down, "It is a sight for sore eyes, I thought I'd never see it again."

"I deiced I've had enough of hiding behind that brown hair, it was time for it all to come out." She went down again, a single step separating the two. "Happy Christmas, Harry."

Ginny waited for him to come up to her, and when he didn't, she took the final step, so close to him she could smell his scent. Clean, crisp, and a little like wild flowers at the same time. He smiled at her and took her in his arms, holding her close like he had before. They stayed like that for a few moments, drowning out the noises coming from only a few feet away. To them, it was as if it were three years ago, stealing a moment alone before they went in and joined their happy family. Closing her eyes, Ginny knew that she was getting it all back.

"Harry?" came soft voice from the kitchen door way. The two broke apart suddenly, Harry taking a few steps back from Ginny. She looked at him as he hung his head low, a blush creeping on his face. The redhead furrowed her brow, watching as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, not even looking at her. "What is going on?" Ginny finally tore her eyes away from her love and looked at the source of the intrusion.

A woman walked slowly towards them, a confused look on her pale face. She was skinny and petite, no taller than 5'4. She had long blonde hair, pulled back into a pony tail that hung at the bottom of her neck. The brows above her blue eyes furrowed as she came to Harry's side, her pink lips slightly pursed.

"Who is this?" she asked, looking at Ginny. She didn't respond, only held her head high, her nose practically reaching the ceiling. The woman looked at Ginny for a long moment, searching her face, taking in her apparel. Suddenly, her expression went from suspicion to astonishment, her mouth falling open. "Merlin's beard, it isn't…" she placed a hand on her chest. "It can't be…Ginny Weasley?" she asked, Ginny looked at Harry who was staring intently at his black shoes.

"Yes," She replied simply. The girl's eyes began to water as she brought another hand to her chest.

"No, it can't be! You are dead! That's what everyone was talking about; you were the one who has come back. I can't believe this. Oh, Ginny Weasley, I've dreamt of this moment for so long, it can't be happening. I always thought I would know what to say if I ever saw you again, and now that it is here, I am speechless." Ginny just stood there as tears began falling from her blue eyes.

"Have we…" she started awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to her tears. "Have we met?"

The woman looked astonished, as if it was an insult. "What… you don't remember me?" Ginny simply shook her head, shrugging.

"I'm sorry, I don't."

"Ginny, you must remember the final battle." The blond told her, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I do," she replied, fidgeting with her dress, "but I don't remember you."

"Oh, of course you don't, it has been three years." She smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing allowing more tears to flow down. "A death Eater had captured me, and had tried to kill me in the forest. You came and killed him, telling me to hide because you were being chased by someone." Ginny looked into her deep blue eyes, recognition dawning on her face. "You saved my life that day," Ginny looked from her eyes to her chest, where her hands still were, a large diamond surrounded by a gold band on her hand. "My name is Hyacintha Green," She watched as she took her hand and put it in the crook of Harry's arm. "Well, it is Potter now." She gave Ginny a large smile, making her entire face light up.

Ginny was rendered speechless, her breath catching in her throat. She tried her best to hold back the stinging tears in her eyes as Harry did nothing to push the woman away. Hyacintha kept looking at her, her blue eyes just sparkling back at her. Ginny swallowed slowly, letting out a shaky breath.

"Excuse me," She said simply, and walked towards the kitchen door.


End file.
